Alstom signs launch order with Northrail for its new TRAXX Shunter platform
posted on 23rd Sep 2026 10:16
On 23 September 2026, Alstom and Northrail announced the signing of a framework agreement at InnoTrans. The agreement covers the supply of up to 100 TRAXX Shunter locomotives. Reflecting Northrail’s confidence in Alstom, this order paves the way for the production of a new generation of shunting locomotives. It also represents a landmark of several years of research, innovation and development efforts by Alstom along customers’ needs.
Northrail is majority-owned by RIVE Private Investment through RTAIF (RIVE Transportation Assets Income Fund), an infrastructure fund dedicated to assets that contribute to the decarbonisation of transport.
The firm order of Northrail includes locomotives (which feature both a pantograph and diesel propulsion) as well as 10 years of maintenance services, amounting to just under 100 million EUR, for deployment in Germany. The locomotives will be designed and assembled at Alstom’s Belfort centre of excellence, with deliveries scheduled to begin from the end of 2029.
The total value of the framework agreement may reach up to 700 million EUR and provides for the activation of options for additional locomotives, including for deployment in France, and up to 20 years of maintenance.
The pantograph-diesel TRAXX Shunter selected by Northrail delivers high power and tractive effort for medium to heavy-duty shunting operations, including on mainline networks. This variant provides the greatest operating autonomy through the use of liquid diesel fuel, which can also consist of HVO2 or biodiesel. The TRAXX Shunter is designed to operate safely at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
