News from Alpha Trains

  

New locomotives with standard and Iberian gauge expand Alpha Trains’ portfolio
© Alpha Trains/Captrain/Stadler
  • Locomotives News
  • 07. July 2020
  • Press Release | Alpha Trains

New locomotives with standard and Iberian gauge expand Alpha Trains’ portfolio

CAPTRAIN España orders EURO6000 electric locomotives, in both standard and Iberian gauge


  • CAPTRAIN España has signed a framework contract with Alpha Trains for up to 21 units of the new full electric EURO6000 Stadler locomotives.
  • 11 units have already been confirmed and will be delivered from the second half of 2021. Five will be fitted with standard gauge and six with Iberian gauge.
  • CAPTRAIN España and Alpha Trains will be the worldwide launching customers of these very powerful brand-new multi-system units developed by Stadler.

Antwerp/Barcelona, 7th July 2020 - CAPTRAIN España - the biggest alternative railway undertaking in Spain - and Alpha Trains - the largest leasing company for locomotives and trains in Continental Europe - have signed an agreement to lease up to 21 new build EURO6000 locomotives. In parallel, Alpha Trains and Stadler Valencia have executed a frame contract for the purchase and sale of such 6-axle multi-system EURO6000.

CAPTRAIN España and Alpha Trains have already confirmed an initial order for eleven of these EURO6000 locomotives. Five EURO6000 will have standard gauge and will be certified for the Spanish, French and Luxembourg networks. This will allow those units to be utilized for hauling trains coming from Spain on three European rail freight corridors (North Sea Mediterranean, Mediterranean and Atlantic). Starting from Barcelona and Tarragona and, later on, Valencia and Bilbao.

The remaining six units will be the first of a batch equipped with Iberian gauge, to operate heavy freight trains in Spain on the new 25kV electrified lines, and in particular, through the soon to be opened Pajares tunnel.

The delivery of the locomotives is planned for the second semester of 2021. The EURO6000s will be entirely manufactured at the Albuixech plant in Valencia. Their main distinguishing feature is their 6 axles, compared to the 4 axles of the majority of the current European fleet.

This order is the outcome of the close cooperation among the engineering teams of Stadler Valencia, CAPTRAIN España, Alpha Trains and SNCF, which has been ongoing for a substantial period of time. This cooperation has permitted to design this new type of locomotive that will allow the haulage of heavy freight trains (over 1800 gross tonnes) in the Mediterranean Corridor railway line in Spain, currently under construction in standard gauge. This Corridor has very specific operating and technical conditions, concerning power supply (three voltages) and signalling (three different signalling systems), in addition to very demanding operational constraints, as it is a mixed high-speed passenger and heavy freight trains railway line.

The CAPTRAIN España and Alpha Trains order is the first received by Stadler for this type of locomotive. Back in 2008, CAPTRAIN España (then COMSA RAIL TRANSPORT) and Alpha Trains also were the launching customers of the very successful Stadler EURO4000 locomotive, of which more than 130 have been delivered since then. In 2018 Alpha Trains also acquired 9 EURO4001 locomotives to operate in France and Belgium and will now broaden the portfolio of Stadler locomotives with the purchase of these multi-system electrical units.

Frédéric Delorme, CEO at SNCF Freight & Intermodal Business states that "SNCF shows with this decision its willingness to be a pioneer in the development of traffic between Spain and Europe; traffic with enormous potential that the railroad must begin to capture from now on. Rail freight has a very small share in Spain, we are convinced that this is a significant step to start increasing it in the cross-border traffics through the Pyrénées”.

Miquel Llevat, President of the Board of CAPTRAIN España highlights the fact that “Once again, this shows up the strong commitment of CAPTRAIN España to develop and enlarge the freight railway market in Spain and to maximize the utilization of the newly built railroad infrastructures. We will continue pushing for the sustainable and profitable rail transport development, to help the States to fulfil the European Commission target of a 30% rail freight share in 2030”.

Fernando Pérez, Managing Director of the Locomotives Division of Alpha Trains, added: “This order strengthens our partnership with CAPTRAIN España and expands our long-lasting relationship with Stadler Valencia. We are very pleased to have placed the order for these EURO6000 locomotives to broaden our portfolio of locomotives to provide an even wider locomotive offering to our customers. We are convinced that in the future the EURO6000 locomotives will be known for their great hauling capacity and reliability”.

Stadler has sold more than 2,200 locomotives and is the European benchmark in the segment of diesel-electric locomotives. With this new order they are entering into the full electrical locomotive segment, which represents 90% of the total locomotive market in Western Europe, where the company aspires to become a reference supplier in the medium term.

The EURO6000 is a member of the Stadler EURODUAL locomotive family, which offers the greatest load hauling capability in the European market, permits the transport of longer and heavier trains and results in greater profitability for transportation services.

With this order, the number of EURODUAL platform locomotives sold by Stadler Valencia amounts to 79, in different Dual, Diesel, and now Electrical configurations, for operations in 7 different countries: Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Turkey.  According to a statement by Iñigo Parra, President of Stadler Valencia “This contract means the successful culmination of the innovation project started few years ago to diversify our range of locomotives, migrating from the diesel-electric locomotives, to the bi-mode locomotives, until arriving at a full electric locomotive. The success of our locomotives is based on their high performance and the flexibility they offer to rail operators in covering transportation operations in an efficient and sustainable way”.


About CAPTRAIN España

CAPTRAIN España - founded in 2005 - is the first Spanish alternative freight railway undertaking and operates in Spain and Portugal since 2008. Last year 2019, a total of 2.8 million trains*km and 2,700 million tons*km were hauled by the CAPTRAIN España locomotives. On top, CAPTRAIN España provides rail services for freight and passengers, traction for railroad construction and auxiliary rail activities in terminals, ports and logistics areas. CAPTRAIN España is part of the European CAPTRAIN family, with sister companies operating in Belgium, Italy, Germany, Nederland, Poland, Austria and Romania. CAPTRAIN España is fully owned by SNCF Group and is part of its Rail Logistic Branch, that also includes different companies acting as Railway Undertaking, Railway Operator and Rail Freight Forwarders in France and through Europe.

Contact

CAPTRAIN España
Mario García Camuñas
Phone: +34 630 658 701
E-Mail: mgarcia@acentum.es


About Alpha Trains

Alpha Trains is the leading rolling stock lessor in Continental Europe. 115 employees from 15 countries work in offices in Luxembourg, Antwerp, Cologne, Madrid and Paris. Alpha Trains owns around 800 locomotives and passenger trains and offers tailor-made leasing solutions, comprehensive know-how in maintenance and vehicle repairs as well as long-term experience in the financing of new build projects. Alpha Trains" fleets are in use by many public and private operators in 17 European countries. Alpha Trains" shareholders are Arcus Infrastructure Fund, AMP Capital and Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investment).

Contact

Alpha Trains Group
Heike Zimmermann
Group PR & Marketing Manager
Phone: +49 221 9140 9063
E-Mail: heike.zimmermann@alphatrains.eu


About Stadler

International rail vehicle construction company, Stadler, is headquartered in Bussnang in Eastern Switzerland. Founded in 1942, it has a workforce of around 10,500 based in various production and over 40 service locations. Stadler provides a comprehensive range of products in the heavy and urban transport segments: High-speed trains, intercity trains, regional and commuter heavy rail trains, underground trains, tram trains and trams. Stadler also manufactures main-line locomotives, shunting locomotives and passenger carriages, including the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive in Europe. It is the world’s leading manufacturer in the rack-and-pinion rail vehicle industry.

Contact

Stadler Rail Group
Marina Winder
Secretary General and Head of Communications & PR
Member of the Group Executive Board
Phone: +41 71 626 31 57
Mobile: +41 78 843 57 20
E-mail: marina.winder@stadlerrail.com

Stadler Rail Valencia
Juan A. Delgado
Head of Business Development, Marketing & Communications
Phone: +34 96 1415257
E-Mail: juan.delgado@stadlerrail.com 
www.stadlerrail.com