Another 33 locomotives ordered
KiwiRail has signed contracts to buy another 33 locomotives as part of a $1.7 billion project to upgrade its rolling stock.
The low-emissions locomotives will be delivered by Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler.
The order includes nine mainline electric locomotives equipped with ETCS (European Train Control System) that will operate in the North Island, and 24 hybrid battery-diesel yard shunt locomotives, including spare parts, specialised tools and technical support services.
KiwiRail chief customer and growth officer Adele Wilson said the locomotives were part of a $1.7b investment by the Government in rolling stock that would allow the state-owned company to improve services and provide the freight market with low-carbon emission transport.
The locomotives would also be deployed on tourism routes, Wilson said.
Stadler was already building 57 DM class locomotives, ordered in 2021, to be used primarily for mainline services on the South Island rail network, she said.
A prototype of the DM class locomotive in New Zealand was expected to arrive later this year.
KiwiRail has also added the ETCS technology to the last 10 DM class locomotives from the first order, to bring the total number of ETCS-fitted locomotives in the North Island to 19.
ETCS would allow the locomotives to operate in the Auckland metro area’s ETCS trackside signalling system.
It would also allow them to operate in the Wellington metro area once the trackside signalling system was upgraded, Wilson said.
The hybrid battery-diesel yard shunt locomotives are designed to operate in all KiwiRail’s shunting areas. The first is expected to be delivered in 2027.
An on-board battery meant the shunt locomotives would primarily operate as zero-emission vehicles, significantly contributing to the reduction of KiwiRail's shunting operations carbon footprint, Wilson said.
They could also be operated by remote control from outside the driving cab within the shunting yards.