European Loc Pool AG / Mon 24.04.2023

Revving up the EuroDual Locomotive

European Loc Pool (ELP) to extend the area of use of EuroDual Locomotives to Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro

Frauenfeld, [20/04/2023]

To secure homologation in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro for the EuroDual locomotive, European Loc Pool (ELP) is collaborating with Stadler Valencia and local third-party partners to conduct test runs and validate the locomotive's compatibility with local infrastructure and national requirements.

“This initiative is the next step in ELP’s ‘Innovation-Journey’ across Europe. As soon as the homologations in the four countries have been obtained, we will take the next step and organize test runs in North Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece”, says Willem Goosen, CEO of ELP.

The test drives themselves will take place in June and July 2023 in all the mentioned countries. To mark the occasion, the locomotive will bear the name "Leteći Balkanac" and feature a special ELP design inspired by the tradition of strong and fast locomotives that once crossed this territory. The design emphasizes the operation across five borders within the corridor. With this investment ELP demonstrates again their commitment to advancing this new and innovative locomotive platform, setting the EuroDual and the new Euro9000 locomotives as the new standard for 6 axle hybrid locomotives in Europe.




“ELP sees enormous potential in the developing markets of South-Eastern Europe and will expand the existing homologation for Germany and Austria with the Balkan region. This will create a new corridor, connecting the ports in northern Germany, with the Adriatic Sea, but also enable operators to create new and innovative transport concepts for the Balkan markets.”, says Emiel Knarren (CCO of ELP).

After the successful completion of the test drives and subsequent submission and review of the documentation by the ERA, the homologation approval in all listed countries is expected before Christmas 2023.

“The characteristics of the railway infrastructure in South-Eastern Europe create perfect conditions for the deployment of the EuroDual locomotive. A combination of challenging steep sections with demanding curves is interspersed with non-electrified sections of railway corridors. Even with such challenging conditions, the 6-axle EuroDual with a tractive effort of 500kN, with 2.8MW of diesel traction power and over 6MW of electric traction power can cope.“, says Ľubomír Dlábik, Sales Account Manager, responsible for South-Eastern Europe at ELP.




More about the hybrid locomotives

ELP focuses on innovative six-axle hybrid locomotives with a power output of up to 2.8 MW diesel, 9 MW electric and a traction capacity of 500 kN. As standard, all vehicles are equipped with ETCS Baseline 3 for Level 2 operations. The first ELP EuroDual locomotives have been in service on the German rail network since April 2020. They enable operation on electrified and non-electrified lines as well as load-mile and shunting operations. All dual locomotives are equipped with radio remote control. 

Starting in mid-2023, the second generation of ELP's dual locomotives, the Euro9000, will be put into service as a hybrid multi-system electric locomotive designed for use in all European corridors. As the "launching customer," European Loc Pool ordered the first ten Euro9000 locomotives from Stadler in May 2019. The first version with 1.9 MW of diesel and 9 MW of electric power at 500 kN tractive effort will be used in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland. Subsequently, the locomotive's area of operation will be expanded to other countries and corridors. The first locomotive of this series for use in six countries was presented at InnoTrans 2022 in Berlin.

 

About ELP

European Loc Pool (ELP) is a young, innovative leasing company for locomotives and was founded in May 2018. The company is headquartered in Frauenfeld, Switzerland. ELP ordered the first 10 EuroDual locomotives in the third quarter of 2018 Since then, ELP has signed a framework agreement with Stadler for 100 Co'Co' hybrid locomotives. From this agreement, 85 locomotives have already been leased under long-term full-service contracts with more than 30 operators in six countries. ELP targets rail operators and logistics companies across Europe and focuses on new innovative six-axle hybrid locomotives. ELP's full-service leasing includes a comprehensive maintenance and insurance offer as well as the possibility to customise the exterior of the locomotives.

ELP is committed to sustainability and utilise advanced technology to reduce their environmental impact while improving operational performance. ELP's experienced team of professionals prioritises safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness to exceed customer expectations.

For more information, please visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

 

Press contact ELP:

Henrike Wilkens
Marketing & Communications
 

You can also find further information at www.europeanlocpool.com

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