Vectron Dual Mode locomotive will be introduced in 2020
In eight months after assembling a prototype of Vectron Dual Mode locomotive, the first customer purchased the new vehicles. German company Railsystems RP ordered two units of this type. Both locomotives will be delivered and entered service by the end of 2020.
The Vectron Dual Mode locomotive is a unique type of rolling stock. It can be powered by diesel engine and electricity from overhead wires. The new vehicle allows the operators to be more flexible by reducing their fuel costs on the electrified routes and maintenance costs on the non-electrified lines. According to CEO of Siemens Mobility Sabrina Soussan, this ‘locomotive combines the best of two worlds’. In spite of energy source (diesel fuel or electricity), the vehicle has a traction power of 2,000 kilowatts and a starting tractive effort of 300 kilonewtons. The locomotive is able to speed up to 160 kilometres per hour.
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Stadler’s competitor
The Siemens-made dual-mode locomotive has a stronger competitor produced by Stadler Rail – the EURODUAL locomotives. They are more powerful than Vectron Dual Mode units and have a traction power of 2,800 kilowatts in diesel mode and 6,150 kilowatts by using the overhead electric wires.
This type is running in regular service for more than five years. Currently, the EURODUAL locomotives are used by the railway companies in the United Kingdom (Direct Rail Services), South Africa (PRASA) and Germany (Havelländische Eisenbahnen). This list was extended by the Turkish rail freight operator Körfez Ulaştırma. The latter ordered seven dual-mode locomotives of this type.
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