Canada, USA: Both manufacturers are to deliver 175 mainline diesel locomotives to the North American operators. Freight operator Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CPKC, will acquire locomotives from both companies, while Wabtec has also received an order from another major rail player, Norfolk Southern. Such contracts have been a rarity in the region in recent years.
Progress Rail is to supply CPKC with a batch of 65 SD70ACe-T4 locomotives. The first 30 units are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2026. Wabtec is also set to deliver 70 ET44A diesel locomotives to CPKC this year. This order is an option under a 2024 framework contract for 170 locomotives, the first 100 of which were delivered last year.
Wabtec ET44AC locomotive for CPKC. Source: CPKC
In its turn, Norfolk Southern is purchasing a different locomotive model from Wabtec, having ordered 40 ES44AC diesel units. It is noted that this is the company’s first locomotive procurement since 2022.
The locomotives supplied to both customers will be equipped with 12-cylinder Tier 4-compliant engines, which have a rated power of 3.3 MW. The continuous tractive effort for Progress Rail’s locomotives is 780 kN, while for Wabtec’s vehicles it is 739 kN.
ES44AC diesel locomotive by Wabtec for Norfolk Southern. Source: Norfolk Southern
As highlighted by consultants from SCI Verkehr in a global trends review released in late 2025, the diesel locomotive segment in North America is at a historically low point and is currently several times smaller than order volumes in 2015, when they exceeded €2 bln in terms of value. According to the Railway Age, the total locomotive fleet in the region amounted to 37,700 units at the end of 2024. However, the practice of extending their service life through modernisation and conversion to alternative traction, including locomotives built in the 1950s, is becoming increasingly widespread. In this environment, the primary market for new locomotives from Wabtec and Progress Rail is shifting to external markets such as India, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, the UAE, and many other countries.
