A
new


bi-mode
freight
locomotive
is
to
be
unveiled
this
week,
which
is
forecast
to
reduce
emissions
by
as
much
as
58
per
cent
and
is
being
described
as
a
‘game
changer’.

The
Class
99
machines
are
being
built
by
Stadler
and
funded
by
Beacon
Rail
for
GB
Railfreight,
which
hopes
to
see
the
first
locomotive
arrive
from
Valencia
in
the
spring
of
next
year
and
to
have
the
full
fleet
of
30
by
the
end
of
2026.
The
deal
also
includes
a
16-year
service
contract.

The
99s
are
fitted
with
AWS
and
TPWS,
and
Stadler
said
ETCS
would
be
installed
‘soon’.

GBRf
said
its
new
machines
will
be
the
first
heavy-haul
freight
locomotives
capable
of
moving
significant
volumes
on
both
electrified
and
non-electrified
sections.
Their
maximum
speed
is
120km/h
(75mph).

The
lack
of
strategic
electrification
on
some
freight
routes,
like
the
line
to
Felixstowe,
has
been
seen
as
hampering
the
rail
freight
industry,
which
tends
as
a
result
to
use
diesels
like
Class
66s
throughout,
even
if
a
large
proportion
of
the
journey
is
on
electrified
sections.

GBRf
chief
executive
John
Smith
said:
‘Rail
freight
has
long
been
the
cleanest,
safest
and
most
efficient
way
of
transporting
goods
and
the
Class
99s
are
a
game-changing
moment
for
the
industry.
These
locomotives
offer
our
customers
the
chance
to
run
faster,
wholly
sustainable,
heavy-haul
services
across
length
and
breadth
of
the
country.’

Stadler
Valencia
CEO
Iñigo
Parra
said
the
Class
99
is
a
‘game
changer’
which
will
‘encourage
modal
shift
from
road
to
rail’.

The
new
locomotive
will
be
exhibited
at
InnoTrans
in
Berlin
on
Wednesday.