Germany: Visitors to the fair in September witnessed the premiere of mainline locomotives from Stadler, Siemens Mobility, Talgo and others. Large shunting locomotives by Vossloh RS, CZ Loko and small vehicles of Zwiehoff and Zagro were also on display.
Class 99, hybrid locomotive from Stadler
Pertaining to the Eurodual platform, this locomotive was one of the stars of the Berlin expo. According to the Swiss company, the six-axle vehicle with independently driven axles has a maximum speed of 120 km/h.
Its dual drive allows electric operation from a 25 kV AC catenary, with a traction power at the wheel rim of 6.2 MW, and diesel-electric operation from a 1.8 MW 16-cylinder Cummins Stage V engine. The locomotive features a starting tractive effort of 500 kN and a continuous tractive effort of 430 kN.
Stalder says the Class 99 locomotive is equipped with IGBT converters and its camera system provides a direct view of the track, automatic coupler and pantograph, giving the driver additional visibility.
The Stadler hybrid locomotive for GB Railfreight at InnoTrans 2024. Source: Today’s Railways UK
The control panel of the Class 99 hybrid locomotive from Stadler. Source: Today’s Railways UK
The locomotive has been ordered by Beacon Rail, a British leasing company, under a framework agreement of 2022 for 50 of these vehicles. Following testing at the VUZ Velim test centre in Czechia at the end of 2024, two first locomotives will enter service in 2025. A batch of 30 vehicles, provided by the firm part, will be handed over to the UK’s major freight operator GB Railfreight by the end of 2026.
Modula BFC, hydrogen locomotive from Vossloh RS
Another premiere is a four-axle locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells and batteries. The Duisburg Gateway Terminal has ordered two vehicles from Vossloh Rolling Stock, a European subsidiary of CRRC.
With a traction power at the wheel rim of 300 kW and a starting tractive effort of 300 kN, the Modula can develop a maximum speed of 120 km/h. It is also equipped with a 160 kW⋅h LTO and IGBT converters.
The Modula BFC locomotive from Vossloh Rolling Stock. Source: Dierk Lawrenz/Eisenbahn-Kurier
The driver’s cab in the Modula BFC locomotive from Vossloh Rolling Stock. Source: Magyarics Zoltan/RegionalBahn
Based on the Modula platform, the locomotive will be available in three versions: catenary and battery EBB, two diesel engines and battery BDD, and two diesel engines and catenary EDD.
The Modula EBB was also on display at InnoTrans 2024. In battery mode, its traction power at the wheel rim is 500 kW, which is slightly higher than that of the BFC. When powered by either 25 kV AC or 1.5 kV DC overhead lines, this parameter reaches 2,500 kW and 1,500 kW respectively. On non-electrified lines, the EBB can use its two 175 kW⋅h LTO batteries. Tractive force and speed are the same as for the BFC.
The Modula EBB hybrid locomotive from Vossloh Rolling Stock. Source: Dierk Lawrenz/Eisenbahn-Kurier
The third locomotive from Vossloh RS was the most powerful of its DE locomotives, the DE 18. The locomotive can be powered either by 1,800 kW diesel engines or by a 150 kW⋅h battery pack. When fully charged, the batteries provide for more than one hour of operation in depots and tunnels. The DE 18 has a starting tractive effort of 291 kN. Along with diesel, the vehicles can run on hydrotreated vegetable oil.
Small battery-powered locomotives
The E6 battery locomotive is an InnoTrans premiere and a first for the Italian manufacturer IPE Railway Vehicles, operating under the IPE Locomotori 2000 brand. It has been developed in collaboration with Nexrail, a European leasing company.
This is reportedly the first three-axle shunting locomotive which is fully battery-powered and TSI-compliant. The vehicle’s 1 MW⋅h batteries can be recharged in about one hour, giving an operating range of eight hours. A rated power of 750 kW enables the locomotive to haul trainsets up to 3,000 t at a speed of 50 km/h.
The battery locomotive from IPE Locomotori 2000 fro Nextrail at InnoTrans 2024. Source: Kirill Balberov/1520today.ru
Another three-axle shunting locomotive with battery traction was shown by Express Service, Bulgaria. Launched in 2005, the ES3000 has a continuous tractive effort of 150 kN and is said to be capable of hauling trains of up to 3,000 t at a speed of up to 15 km/h.
The ES3000 battery-powered locomotive from Express Service. Source: Magyarics Zoltan/RegionalBahn
Battery locomotives are the most in-demand Express Service products, delivered to Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, France, the UK and India.
BR 105, electric locomotive from Talgo
This year’s novelties include a passenger locomotive for ICE L push-pull trains. A multi-system electric locomotive has a maximum speed of 230 km/h and can operate on both 15 kV and 25 kV AC and 1.5 kV DC lines. According to the producer, it is compatible with various power supply and signalling systems.
The BR 105 multi-system electric locomotive from Talgo. Source: Falk2/wikipedia
The control panel of the Talgo BR 105. Source: TarikMatthias/wikipedia
Delivery of the ICE L trains, comprising one BR 105 locomotive and 17 low-floor coaches, to Deutsche Bahn is expected to start in December this year. A total of 79 trains worth more than €1.9 bln were ordered in 2019 and 2023, with the operator able to exercise an option for a further 44 trains. The trains will replace the current Intercity 1 fleet, which was mainly procured in the 1970s to 1990s and modernised in the 2010s.
Vectron Dual Mode light, locomotive from Siemens Mobility
In addition to the Vectron Dual Mode, the German rolling stock manufacturer presented another hybrid locomotive, the Vectron Dual Mode light. The basic model can be used for both mainline and shunting operations, while the light version boasts a lower axle load of just 21 tf.
The Vectron Dual Mode light hybrid locomotive from Siemens Mobility. Source: Vectron X4E/flickr
The Vectron Dual Mode light is equipped with a Cummins QST30-L diesel engine, which is capable of running on biofuel and ensures a traction power at the wheel rim of 2,210 kW in catenary mode and of 750 kW in autonomous mode. The locomotive also features a maximum speed of 120 km/h and a starting tractive effort of 300 kN.
The freight operator DB Cargo expects to receive 146 Vectron Dual Mode lights under a contract of 2020 and an option exercised in 2022. A further four vehicles will be delivered to the infrastructure operator DB Bahnbau.
In summer 2023, Siemens Mobility announced that over 1,800 Vectron locomotive of various modifications were supplied to 66 customers, making it one of the popular platforms in Europe.
Locomotives from other suppliers
The global leader in rolling stock, Alstom, confined itself to exhibiting a much sought-after Traxx locomotive, which it acquired from Bombardier Transportation in 2021, along with production facilities.
The Traxx MS multi-system electric locomotive, built for the European leasing company Akiem, which ordered 65 units last summer, was on display at InnoTrans this year. The locomotives will be used primarily for freight services, but they can also be used for passenger services.
The Traxx MS multi-system locomotive. Source: Kirill Balberov/1520today.ru
Tractive equipment of the Traxx MS multi-system locomotive. Source: Magyarics Zoltan/RegionalBahn
Newag of Poland offered the visitors a three-system electric locomotive, the Griffin E4MSUa, ordered by the Polish operator PKP Intercity. The four-axle locomotive can be powered from 3 kV DC, 15 kV and 25 kV AC lines and, with an output of 5.7 MW, can accelerate up to 200 km/h with a starting tractive effort of 310 kN.
PKP Intercity has ordered 15 Griffin E4MSUas in 2021 and 2023, worth $90 mln for international routes. Poland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are expected to approve the locomotive for operation.
The three-system Griffin E4MSUa electric locomotive. Source: Falk2/wikipedia
The Czech manufacturer CZ LOKO showed a new diesel-electric shunting locomotive, the DualShunter 2000. This is the first in a series of new hybrid locomotives announced in 2020.
The DualShunter 2000 hybrid locomotive from CZ LOKO. Source: Kirill Balberov/1520today.ru
According to CZ LOKO, there will be available versions for 25 kV AC lines and for 3 kV DC lines, with an output of 2.2 MW and a maximum speed of 120 km/h. In addition to the batteries, both versions are equipped with an 895 kW Caterpillar C32 diesel engine, allowing a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Of the four DualShunter 2000s, already built, two have been delivered to the Italian freight operator Mercitalia.
Railcar shunting vehicles
The German company Zwiehoff presented the richest exposition of railcar shunters for industrial companies. Visitors to InnoTrans could see two new vehicles: ROTRAC RRE30 and ROTRAC E1. Both are rail/road shunters powered by lithium-ion batteries. While the former can ‘only’ move 3,000 t trains, the latter, which can haul trains of up to 200 t, features a very low overall height enabling it to move bogies between or under railcars.
Zwiehoff shunting vehicles. Source: Magyarics Zoltan/RegionalBahn
Another noteworthy exhibit from Zwiehoff are two battery-powered series shunting vehicles, the ROTRAC E2 and ROTRAC E4, designed to haul trains of up to 250 t and 500 t respectively. All four vehicles from the German manufacturer are operated by remote control.
The Unimog U423 (right) and other Zwiehoff machines. Source: Zwiehoff
The expo saw the presentation of an all-round vehicle for road and rail applications, the Unimog U423, developed by Zwiehoff in partnership with Mercedes-Benz. According to the manufacturer, the machine is capable of hauling trainsets of up to 1,000 t at an operation speed of 50 km/h on rails and 90 km/h on roads.
The Unimog U423 can be used for railway infrastructure maintenance and can be equipped with various modules and attachments, including cranes, snowploughs, brushes, etc. Its 130 to 175 kW diesel engine complies with the Euro 6 emission standard.
The E-MAXI XL shunting vehicle. Source: FelixM/flicr
Three battery-powered rail/road shunting vehicles have been unveiled by Zagro, Germany. The E-MINI has a tractive effort of 2.5 kN and is capable of hauling 50 t trains, while the E-MAXI M and E-MAXI XL have tractive efforts of 15 kN and 50 kN and can work with trains of 300 t and 1,000 t respectively. All shunters are controlled from a control panel or via radio remote control.
Read our reviews of InnoTrans 2022: MUs, locomotives, LRV, track machines.
