Stadler has pulled the covers off the Euro Dufour at InnoTrans 2026, a new freight locomotive built for SBB Cargo Switzerland.
Though it will not enter service until 2027, the pitch is already clear: more flexibility for operators, lower energy bills, and a machine that’s ready for where European rail freight is heading.
On paper, it’s a lightweight, network-friendly locomotive designed to run on as many lines as possible while keeping operating costs down.
It runs on standard 1,435 mm gauge with a Bo’Bo’ axle arrangement and tops out at 160 km/h.
It can handle several electric supply systems (25 kV 50 Hz AC, 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC and 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC) and delivers up to 7 MW under the wires. When the catenary runs out, a 600 kW battery configuration takes over. Starting tractive effort is 350 kN.
Operators can choose between pure electric and battery-hybrid versions. For braking, the Euro Dufour combines conventional pneumatic brakes with regenerative and rheostatic electric braking.
Alexander Muhm, Head of Freight Transport, revealed how the project was far from straightforward. Rethinking how freight locomotives are built meant changing the production model itself, he said, and that wasn’t easy.
The payoff, he argued, comes over the long haul.
Alexander Muhm, Head of Freight Transport at Stadler, said:Over the next 30/40 years we would like to have a locomotive that is inexpensive.
The target is a 15% cut in energy consumption, which matters a great deal for an operator like SBB Cargo.
Alexander Muhm, Head of Freight Transport at Stadler, said:In Switzerland we are running fully electrically.
Stadler has also built the locomotive with tomorrow’s railway in mind. It’s ready for Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) and the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), and the company says drivers will get a better place to work, too.
Still, Muhm was honest about what actually wins contracts.
Alexander Muhm, Head of Freight Transport at Stadler, said:The customer doesn't care much; you don't get the order for beauty. You get the order for providing in a safe, reliable way.
That reliability has never mattered more. Rail freight is fighting for its place across the continent, and Muhm believes no single company can turn that around alone.
Alexander Muhm, Head of Freight Transport at Stadler, said:Freight traffic on the rail is massively under pressure everywhere in Europe. For passengers to trust freight, we need everyone in the chain to run.
