SPAIN: ALSA Rail has put into service to the first of four Stadler Euro6000 multi-system electric locos being leased from Alpha Trains for use on freight services to and from Asturias.
Until now ALSA Rail has depended on its small fleet of 3 kV DC Class 269 locos to move steel coil, but these are only able to use the original line over the Pajares Pass, as the route through the 25 km base tunnel is electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz.
In mid-2024 state incumbent RENFE Mercancías, which has a fleet of dual-system locos, decided that all its freight services must use the base tunnel, and ALSA Rail decided to obtain its own dual-system locos in case it might be subject to future restrictions on using the older line.
Diverting freight traffic to the new line will also allow ALSA Rail to develop the tourist trains it launched over the highly scenic older route in 2024.
