Stadler will produce 130 electric freight locomotives for various Spanish operators. The company intends to supply the trains between 2024 and 2026. Currently, Spain operates between 400 and 500 freight locomotives.
The company has signed contracts with nearly all of the country’s railway operators for the delivery of ‘Euro6000’ electric freight locomotives and aims to deliver them in the coming two years. Companies that Stadler has sold these new locomotives to include Renfe, Captrain, Medway and AlphaTrains.
The innovative Euro6000 locomotive can reach up to 160 kilometres an hour and carry up to 2,000 tonnes of freight on steep slopes. Moreover, Euro6000 locomotives have the ability to operate on both the standard European and the Iberian gauge, overcoming one of the main difficulties of rail operations in Iberia. This type of locomotive has already been approved by the French authorities, allowing for easy rail transportation between Spain and France.
Sustainable expansion
Spain currently operates between 400 and between freight locomotives. The expansion of the Spanish fleet with 130 electric locomotives is a ‘great leap’ in the availability of sustainable electric trains, according to Stadler. The delivery of 130 new locomotives will help reach the EU target of transferring 30 per cent of goods from road to rail by 2030 and decarbonise the transport sector.
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