500th Electric Vectron Locomotive Ordered

European Locomotive Leasing (ELL), a provider of full-service leasing of electric locomotives, has ordered an additional eight Vectron locomotives from Siemens. ELL is currently the biggest Vectron customer. The multisystem locomotives have a maximum output of 6.4 MW and a top speed of 200 km/h. ELL will lease the locomotives to the Czech railway České Dráhy for passenger service on the Prague-Berlin route. With this order, Siemens has passed the mark of 500 sold electric locomotives – and the counter now stands at 507 in total.

“This milestone highlights the success story and reliable service of our Vectron locomotives throughout Europe. We’ve already convinced 31 customers in 14 countries with our flexible platform and customer-tailored equipment packages,” said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility Division.

Siemens’ locomotives are used for both freight and passenger service. The first Vectron was delivered in 2012. During the development of the locomotive, the focus was on providing a future-proof design, investment security, environmental compatibility, fungibility, retrofitting capability and convertibility.

The Vectron can be delivered as a purely electrical version for operating with alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power systems as well as a multisystem (MS) variant in the power classes 5.2 MW, 5.6 MW and 6.4 MW. Along with the desired national train control system, the locomotives can also be equipped with the latest European Train Control System (ETCS). The locomotives will be built in the Siemens plant in Munich-Allach, Germany.

The Vectron fleet has accumulated more than 75 million kilometers of service so far. The locomotives are currently certified for operation in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.