SWISS operators Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB) have placed a joint order worth around SFr 100m ($US 111.8m) with Stadler for 11 bi-mode locomotives.
The 1000mm-gauge locomotives will be built in Bussnang, Switzerland, and will be configured to operate either from the electric overhead supply or from an onboard diesel engine.
Eight of the locomotives will be delivered to RhB, where they will replace five older units. The additional three locomotives will be deployed for rescue purposes. Because many sections of the RhB network do not have road access, it is essential that trains that are stranded or have experienced an incident or fault can be removed quickly, and the new locomotives will fulfil this role.
The three locomotives ordered by MGB will replace ageing HGm 4/4 61-62 units and will be deployed on maintenance trains to upgrade the railway infrastructure. They will also play a key role in clearing snow from the Oberalp Pass in winter.
The RhB units will have a maximum speed of 100km/h and a 1.5MW power output in ac electric mode and 1MW using the diesel engine. The MGB locomotives will have a top speed of 70km/h, a 1.3MW output in ac electric mode and 700kW using the diesel engine.
Development and other one-off costs for the new locomotives will be shared by a total of four Swiss operators after Morges-Bière-Cossonay Transport (MBC) ordered a single locomotive on December 10 and Montreux-Berner Oberland Railway (MOB) ordered six locomotives in October.
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