Belgian National Railway Company places €211M order with Siemens for 60 locomotives

Munich, Germany – The Belgian National Railway Company SNCB, or Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges, has just placed an order worth 211 million euros with Siemens Transportation Systems for 60 electric multi-system locomotives. The contract includes an option for 60 more locomotives. The locomotives are also suitable for operation on Belgium’s high speed line linking Brussels and Liege.

It’s the first order of electric locomotives for Siemens in Belgium. These 6000-kw multi-system Eurosprinter ES60U3 type locomotives are to be delivered by Siemens between January 2009 and June 2010. They are based on the Taurus model, a special type of Eurosprinter that is operating for Austrian Federal Railways. The ES60U3 will replace older locomotives in the passenger rail sector and also provide additionally required capacity. “SNCB made a decision for a modern, powerful and reliable locomotive with a wide range of application”, said Wolfram Seiler, Head of Locomotives at Siemens Transportation Systems.

Built for a top speed of 200 km/h, the Eurosprinter ES60U3 is also suitable for operation on Belgium’s L2 high speed line linking Brussels and Liege. Beside that, the new locomotives should also be certified to operate on the neighboring country’s railway network and in cross-border traffic.

The Transportation Systems Group (TS) of Siemens AG is one of the leading international suppliers to the railways industry. As single-source supplier and system integrator, the Group combines in its business segments Automation & Power, Rolling Stock, Turnkey Systems and Integrated Services all the expertise necessary to cover the spectrum from signaling and control systems to traction power supplies, as well as rolling stock for mass transit, regional and main line services. Extensive experience in project management and forward-looking service concepts complement our portfolio. In fiscal 2006 (ended September 30), TS generated sales of around €4.5 billion with around 18,800 employees worldwide. Further information on TS can be found at www.siemens.com/transportation