AS part of cost-cutting measures to achieve profitability in the current financial year, German Rail (DB) freight operating subsidiary DB Cargo has ended its project with Toshiba to introduce up to 100 HDB 800 dual-mode diesel-battery locomotives, sending the eight locomotives already built under the project to a Cologne scrapyard. The scrapped locomotives were at various stages of construction.
DB ordered 50 HDB 800s from Toshiba in 2020, with procurement of a further 50 planned under a deal financed by leasing firm Railpool. The agreement with Toshiba was announced following the production of a tri-mode electric-diesel-battery HDB 800 prototype using the underframe and parts from an industrial locomotive. The unit was exhibited at a trade fair in Munich in 2019.
The twin diesel engines and battery traction system of the bi-mode locomotive was forecast to offer fuel savings of around 30% compared with the existing DB class 294/295 fleet for which a modernisation project was also scrapped in 2021. Manufacture of the first 10 HDB 800 units was subcontracted to Talbot in Aachen.
The SCiB lithium titanium oxide batteries for the HDB 800s are based on those used in Japanese operator JR Freight’s HD300 hybrid locomotives. When the project was announced, the batteries were said to have already been certified for use in Germany by TÜV Rheinland. However, this proved to be incorrect, with testing of the prototype locomotives in 2024-25 failing to secure the necessary approvals.
Efforts to improve DB Cargo’s financial performance have also contributed to the project being scrapped. DB Cargo has announced substantial changes to its business in order to achieve profitability by the end of 2026 as agreed between the German government and the European Commission (EC). DB Cargo has already disposed of some locomotives as part of this process, while Toshiba and DB are opting to scrap the unused HDB 800s rather than selling them, presumably to prevent the transfer of technology. Neither Toshiba nor Railpool responded to enquiries about the project.
DB Cargo reported an Ebit loss of €7m in 2025, which was a major improvement on the €357m Ebit loss reported in 2024. In its 2025 annual report, DB Cargo also says that it accepted 43 new class 249 Vectron Dual Mode locomotives last year and that by the end of 2027 it will have all 146 in service under the contract it signed with Siemens in 2022.
Vossloh hybrid order
While scrapping the deal with Toshiba, DB has retained its contract with CRRC-owned Vossloh Rolling Stock for up to 250 battery-diesel locomotives. An initial contract for 50 Modula locomotives for DB Cargo was agreed in December 2021 with options for up to 200 more locomotives. Vossloh Rolling Stock has confirmed to IRJ that the order for 50 locomotives “continues as planned.” DB announced in November 2025 that the first units should enter service “in mid-2027.”
The first of the centre-cab DM 20 BDD locomotives, which were built by Vossloh in Kiel in northern Germany, was presented to the media in October 2025. The locomotives are equipped with two 900kW diesel engines although the second engine will only be used for supplementary power when starting or on gradients. The lithium titanate batteries have a capacity of more than 120kWh and can be charged using regenerative braking or by means of a shore supply when stationary.
