Stadler’s EURO9000 locomotive has received type approval for operation in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The loco, which was presented at InnoTrans 2022, already has approval to run in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and Stadler expects it to be authorised to run in Italy next year.

The EURO9000 is a six-axle, interoperable locomotive designed to operate on international routes along the main European railway routes. It meets the technical specifications for interoperability (TSI), and is equipped with packages for each country it operates in, including conventional automatic train protection systems and European Train Control System (ETCS), which ensure smooth cross-border operations. The basic configuration covers Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, with two prototypes having been successfully tested in the last two years.

Stadler developed the EURO9000 with a powerful and versatile design to meet the challenges of transporting rail freight across borders. It has been available for operation in Germany and Austria since March 2023, and received type approval for operation in Switzerland on 2 November.

The EURO9000 has a power output of nine MegaWatts, making it the most powerful locomotive on the European market and allowing it to operate on electrified routes with alternating current and direct current. it has a modular design, which enables electric, diesel and/or battery drive to be installed together, so that each train can run on both electrified and non-electrified sections of track. The diesel motors provide extra power when the locomotive is travelling under a 3-kiloVolt DC overhead contact line.

The EURO9000 can travel at high speed on the main European corridors with mixed traffic, and can enable longer, heavier trains to be pulled by a single locomotive.

Leasing company European Loc Pool (ELP) placed the first order for EURO9000 locomotives, and has so far acquired thirty, seven of which are in operation. Alpha Trains ordered twelve EURO9000 locomotives in October this year, which Stadler will deliver in 2025.

Iñigo Parra, Executive Vice President of Stadler Division Spain, says: “The challenges associated with the interoperability of European rail networks and the European Union’s requirements to shift more freight transport to rail motivated us at Stadler to develop one of our most innovative products – the EURO9000. This underlines our commitment and our pioneering role in shaping the future of rail freight transport.”