ELP announced plans in mid-2018 to enter the market offering the six-axle locomotives, ordering two units specifically for use in Scandinavia and eight for use in Germany.
The Scandinavian units are suitable for use in temperatures as low as -40°C and are fitted with Swedish and Norwegian signalling equipment. All 10 units are 15kV/25kV ac dual voltage with a maximum power rating of 6.15MW. Each unit also has a 2.8MW Caterpillar C175-16 diesel engine, which complies with EU Stage IIIB emissions standards.
The 126-tonne locomotives have a starting tractive effort of 500kN under both diesel and electric power and a top speed of 120km/h, although they could be geared for 160km/h if required. The three axle bogies have been updated from the Stadler Euro 4000 design and each bogie has three asynchrous traction motors. Initially the units for Germany are designed solely for use in Germany while Stadler intends to secure approval for operation in other countries in the future.
Delivery is set to commence in the second half of 2019.
Further orders
In addition to the ELP order, Stadler has orders for 10 Eurodual 15kV/25kV ac bi-mode units for German operator HVLE. Three of these have been built and are on test in Germany or Spain. ITL, which is owned by French National Railways (SNCF) subsidiary Captrain, also ordered four locomotives in the same configuration for use in Germany in late 2018.
The prototype Eurodual, which is a 25kV ac/1.5kV dc bi-mode unit, has been sold to VFLI in France. Unlike the other locomotives, this unit is equipped with French safety systems.
