World's Most Powerful Locomotive Goes to China

Germany's Siemens Transportation Systems has teamed up with a Chinese freight company to build 500 of the worlds most powerful electric freight locomotives for the Chinese railway.

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive and Siemens are designing the 9.6MW locomotives which can operate at top speeds of 120km/h. Each train will have six axles and weigh up to 150t.

A corresponding contract for the supply of components worth over €334m has also just been signed by the two companies.

The first units are due to start service at the beginning of 2009.

Reported by staff writer