LITHUANIA: The national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo has awarded Stadler a contract to supply 17 six-axle electric locomotives, along with spare parts and three years of maintenance. There is an option for 17 more locos.
The €115·7m contract announced on December 16 is Stadler’s first locomotive order from Lithuania, where 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the 376 km corridor between Vilnius and the port of Klaipėda is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. In 2023 passenger operator LTG Link awarded Stadler a contract to supply electric and battery-electric multiple-units.
LTG Cargo said electricity from renewable sources would be used, so the locomotives will transport freight without emitting any CO2. They will also require less frequent repairs than the diesel fleet, will not require time for refuelling, and will be more powerful so they can haul trains of up to 5 700 tonnes.
‘The purchase of electric locomotives marks the start of a new era of even more sustainable and reliable rail freight transport’, said LTG Cargo CEO Eglė Šimė. ’The new electric locomotives will transport freight between Vilnius and Klaipėda — a corridor that carries half of all rail freight in Lithuania annually. Electric locomotives are about three times more efficient than diesel locomotives, so we can offer our customers greener and more competitive freight transport services.’
Winterised EuroDual
The order will see Stadler’s EuroDual platform winterised for temperatures as low as -40ºC.
The 1 520 mm gauge locomotives to be supplied from the manufacturer’s Valencia plant from early 2027 will have a maximum tractive effort of 500 kN and up to 6·15 MW available at rail, with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. They will be equipped with SA3 automatic couplers for heavy freight operation.
The cabs will be designed in accordance with the latest ergonomic standards and European requirements for noise and comfort. They will offer good visibility, with two rear-view CCTV cameras per cab allowing the driver to see backwards from the central driving position; there will also be a forward-facing camera. There will be an onboard toilet.
‘We are very proud of this new development of our EuroDual family, which allows us to introduce our cargo locomotives in Lithuania for the first time’, said Iñigo Parra, Executive Vice-President of Stadler’s Spanish division. ‘This new locomotive shares the same high performance with the rest of the family, promoting a modal shift to rail.’
Wagons ordered
Separately, LTG Cargo has awarded Ukrainian manufacturer Dniprovagonmash a €12·7m contract to supply 200 open wagons for the transport of construction materials between February and April 2025.
‘Transportation of construction materials in Lithuania is one of the largest cargo segments and has grown significantly due to the increased construction and road repairs in recent years’, said Šimė.
‘These wagons will allow us to transport an additional 0·7 million tonnes of cargo. The updated rolling stock will also improve efficiency and service quality.’
