OREANDA-NEWS. Alstom has been awarded a €175 million contract to supply 47 dual-mode locomotives to SBB Infrastructure[1] in Switzerland. The locomotives, to be used for track works on SBB’s rail network and for shunting in the shunting yards of Lausanne Triage and Limmattal, are scheduled to enter commercial service in 2018. The 47 locomotives will be manufactured on Alstom’s site in Belfort, France. The project management will be carried out in Switzerland.

The locomotive for SBB Infra belongs to Alstom’s new Prima H4[2] dual-mode platform for shunting and track works. The locomotive runs at speeds of up to 120 km/h which allows easy integration into mainline traffic flow. The Prima H4 bi-modal locomotive is powered by an electric traction system and to diesel generators. The two power generators, coupled with an automatic start-stop system, enable a 20% reduction in fuel consumption compared with a single engine diesel locomotive. The locomotive has been designed to optimize maintenance cycles, thus reducing life cycle costs.  It is fitted with ETCS.

Particular attention has been paid to the design of the driver cabin. The large cabin (up to 4 people) has been conceived as a “working and waiting space” as track workers will not only be travelling aboard the train, but also spend time in the cabin while working on construction sites. The cabin is equipped with an HVAC[3] system and storage space for the personal belongings of the train crew. It is also protected against vibrations and air pressure when entering tunnels. 

“Alstom has been the best to fulfil the award criteria of our public invitation to tender. The new and more powerful vehicles will allow us to cope with the increasing construction and maintenance volume with less vehicles and in a more efficient way. Thanks to its improved energy efficiency, Alstom’s Prima H4 will allow SBB Infra to reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 6,000 tons per year,” says D?sir?e Baer, Member of the Managing Board of SBB Infrastruktur. 

“We are pleased to have been selected by SBB Infra for this important contract. With Alstom’s Prima H4 locomotive, which is derived from a modular concept, SBB Infra will see its operating, energy and maintenance costs reduced,” says Herman Van der Linden, Alstom Managing Director in Switzerland. 

[1] SBB Infrastructure is responsible for operating, maintaining and developing 3000 km of Switzerland’s railway infrastructure

[2] Four axles in two individual bogies (BoBo configuration)

[3] heating, ventilation and air conditioning