The Vectron MS locomotives from Siemens will run on the north-south freight rail line between Belgium/Netherlands and Italy. Credit: BLS Cargo

Swiss freight operator BLS Cargo has awarded Siemens a contract to deliver 25 additional multi-system Vectron MS locomotives.

The 6.4MW locomotives have a maximum speed of 160km/h. They will be fitted with ETCS and the national signalling systems.

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The locomotives will be used on the north-south freight rail line between Belgium/Netherlands and Italy.

The trains will undergo extensive testing over the coming weeks before entering service.

Delivery of the latest order is expected to commence at the end of next year and will last until 2025.

BLS Cargo had previously ordered 15 multi-system Vectron MS locomotives. In 2016, Siemens delivered the first two cars from BLS Cargo’s order.

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The locomotives are fitted with the necessary traction and train safety systems to allow them to travel through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium.

BLS Cargo CEO Dirk Stahl said: “With the new locomotives, we will be accessing the Belgian market and can coordinate our operations even better and closer with our Belgian subsidiary Crossrail.”

Last week, Siemens Mobility received a contract from Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore to design and install a simulation centre for the Downtown Line’s (DTL) signalling system.

The facility will be situated in the control centre at Gali Batu depot and start operations next year.

Earlier this month, a consortium spearheaded by Siemens Mobility decided to take up a fully automated tram depot research project in Potsdam, Germany.

Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP), the Institute for Climate Protection, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Codewerk GmbH, Energy and Mobility (IKEM) and Mapillary are part of the consortium.

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