ELP Exceeds The 100 Locomotives Ordered Mark

Shortly before Christmas, European Loc Pool placed a firm order for a further 10 EURODUAL locomotives, breaking the hundred-unit threshold. ELP entered into a framework contract with Stadler Rail for at least 100 locomotives in April 2019, which has so far resulted in 30 EURO9000s being ordered and now a total of 74 EURODUALs. When the framework contract was awarded, ELP set a target of 100 locomotives ordered by the end of 2023. ELP now expects to achieve a further 100 locomotives ordered by 2028.

Of these 104, ELP currently has leasing contracts for 85 locomotives, with more than 30 customers in six countries. As of the end of 2022, 48 locomotives have been put into service. The latest deliveries include a pair of locomotives (159 003 and 004), delivered to the Norwegian state operator CargoNet shortly before Christmas. In Norway, two EURODUALs have been operated for two years by the Swedish state operator Green Cargo. However, it has decided to end its operations in that country and, as it has no use for them in Sweden, CargoNet will also take over the machines at the end of January 2023. 

Another Norwegian customer for the EURODUALs will soon follow, as Onrail should take over the lease of their two new locomotives from ELP at the end of March 2023.

EURODUALs have so far been approved for operation in Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway (and in France, the version for 1.5/25 kV voltages is represented by a single locomotive). Approvals are expected to be achieved this year in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia and possibly also in North Macedonia. The test runs for the Balkans are scheduled to start in the second half of the second quarter of this year. In Slovenia, only diesel operation will be involved, as the catenary there (except for some border stations) is fed by 3 kV DC. Other Balkan countries are to follow later, but approval in Hungary is not planned by ELP (this just for EURO9000 at a later time).

In 2023, a significant step should be achieved with the approval of the EURO9000 type quadruple-voltage locomotive in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. This step is currently expected in the second half of the second quarter of the year.