UK rail freight operator GBRf is eagerly anticipating the delivery of its fleet of “Class 99” designated hybrid locomotives. After a static display of the Stadler-built machine last year in Berlin, the first of the marque is moving on to the test track. 99001 is on the way from Valencia to Velim.
GBRf is proud of its new baby. So much so that the rail freight operator has shared pictures of the locomotive leaving the Stadler works in Valencia, Spain. The unit, based on Stadler’s Eurodual design and customised for the UK, is the first of a fleet of thirty locomotives on order.
Alternative traction capability
The remarkably powerful units, delivering 8000bhp (6000kw) under electric traction, also have a secondary diesel engine on board. That alternative traction capability will allow the units to deliver bulk loads almost anywhere on the UK network. Class 99 locomotives are expected to reduce emissions by up to 58 per cent in service when compared to the industry’s most popular diesel workhorse.
“The Class 99s are a game-changing moment for the UK rail freight industry,” said the ever-enthusiastic John Smith, GBRf chief executive. “Rail freight has long been the cleanest, safest and most efficient way of transporting goods. These locomotives offer our customers the chance to run faster, wholly sustainable, heavy-haul services across the length and breadth of the country.”
Significant payload volume at mainline speeds
GB Railfreight, which celebrated its 25th-anniversary last year, expects to start introducing the class 99 into revenue-earning service later this year. “99001 left Stadler’s factory in Valencia this week and is making its way to Velim in the Czech Republic,” said a company statement. “[At Velim] ,it will undergo a rigorous programme of testing and commissioning. We expect 99001 will be in the UK in the early summer of this year.”
GBRf says the Class 99 units are the first heavy-haul freight locomotives capable of moving significant volume at mainline speeds on electrified and non-electrified sections of the UK rail network. In this case, that’s 75mph or 120kph. “The Class 99s aligns with the [UK] government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower and will empower businesses and consumers to make greener purchasing decisions,” said the company.
The operator has already committed to running the hybrid locomotives on renewable energy sources. Unit number 99001 has a few months ahead of it in the Czech Republic. The Velim test track is an independent facility located to the east of Prague. It is most famous for its large oval track layout with full overhead electrification. The formation is over thirteen kilometres long. It allows for extended non-stop testing under load and at high speed. The scenery is a bit repetitive. GBRf is not complaining about that, though.