2023/12/20

EURO9000 gets green light for operations in Belgium and the Netherlands

The EURO9000 locomotive from Stadler, the new generation of 6-axle hybrid locomotives, has successfully received type approval for operation in the Netherlands and Belgium. This approval extends the operational area of the EURO9000, which is already authorised in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and emphasises its adaptability to the requirements of international rail corridors. An operating licence in Italy is expected to be granted in 2024.

The EURO9000 is an interoperable locomotive specially designed for use on international routes along the main European railway corridors. Following the approval already in place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the locomotive has now also received approval for operation in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The EURO9000 locomotive meets the technical specifications for interoperability (TSI) and is intended to be equipped with various country packages. These include conventional automatic train protection systems and ETCS to ensure smooth cross-border operations. The basic configuration covers Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, where two prototypes have been successfully tested in the last two years.

The EURO9000 was developed in response to the challenges of rail freight transport. Its more powerful, more versatile design represents an efficient solution to the increasing demands of cross-border transport. The EURO9000 locomotive has been available for use in Germany and Austria since March 2023. It received type approval for operation in Switzerland on 2 November. The current approval for Belgium and the Netherlands is a further milestone for Stadler and emphasises the reliability and performance of the EURO9000 at international level.

Iñigo Parra, Executive Vice President of Stadler Division Spain, says: “The challenges associated with the interoperability of European rail networks and the European Union’s requirements to shift more freight transport to rail motivated us at Stadler to develop one of our most innovative products – the EURO9000. This underlines our commitment and our pioneering role in shaping the future of rail freight transport.”