ERA approves Vossloh’s DE 18 Stage V locomotive for use in Italy

Vossloh Rolling Stock’s DE 18 Stage V mixed-traffic locomotive. Credit: Vossloh Rolling Stock

The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) has approved Vossloh Rolling Stock’s DE 18 Stage V mixed-traffic locomotive for use on the Italian railway network.

Dr. Bernd Hoppe, CEO of Vossloh Rolling Stock, said: “Now that our powerful flagship locomotive has successfully positioned itself with Italian operators and is being used to provide a host of strategic services, we’re employing the latest engine technology to increase both the deployment radius and the versatility of the DE 18 for our customers.”

Latest generation engines for more variable applications

The Stage V engines set themselves apart thanks to particularly low emissions that remain well below the legal limits without the use of either urea-based or any other additives. And using them in combination with the ‘Low Emission’ function developed by Vossloh Rolling Stock halves the measured values again, making the DE 18 Stage V locomotive suitable for use on construction sites or in areas with special emission requirements like tunnels or marshaling yards. Taking the environmental concept further, the engines have been engineered to also be able to run on HVO biofuels without requiring modifications, which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 55%.

Highest priority market

With its extensive railway network and one of the highest volumes of rail freight traffic in Europe, Italy has been one of Vossloh Rolling Stock’s target markets since the beginning.

“The growing demand for powerful locomotives resulting from the trend in Italy towards longer and heavier trains comes at a perfect time for us to participate in this growth with our sophisticated DE 18 and the latest generation of engines,” explained Dr. Hoppe. “We’re encountering a very good business climate in Italy ripe for technological change. With the DE 18 Stage V, we’re proud to be able to provide our Italian customers with a state-of-the-art traction vehicle that is even more versatile and gives them more scope to drastically reduce environmental impacts with environmentally-friendly fleet management.”