The new fleet of locomotives will be deployed primarily on the main Germany-Austria-Italy corridor. The Troisdorf-based railway logistics company currently operates around 60 round trips per week on this north-south axis alone. There will also be the option to equip some of the locomotives with packages specific to the Swiss and Dutch markets.

Performance capacity

Mercitalia has been established through a restructuring exercise by Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group), which brings together all of the group’s rail freight and logistics operations. It will be responsible for reviving the freight fortunes of the FS group, by bringing in new solutions for freight routes.

Pietro Mancuso, Chairman and CEO of TXL, said: “The purchase of the locomotives is an investment in the future and will keep us in shape for further growth in the rail sector. The goal is to further bolster cross-border traffic using the new fleet and to continue the expansion of our European network, thus further increasing the performance capacity and competitiveness of the Polo Mercitalia Group.”

ETCS

In order to be fully compatible with European interoperable traffic, the locomotives must be equipped with the latest European Train Control System (ETCS) technology. An upgrade to the future Baseline 3 level will be included to conform with the planned European standards for train safety on all routes. In addition, the multi-system locomotives should meet the maximum requirements for energy efficiency. A full service contract for the maintenance of the new locomotives is also part of the tender.

TX Logistik wants to complete the tender process and negotiations with the manufacturers by the end of this year. Most of the 45 locomotives are due for delivery between 2018 and 2020.