ER 20 CF for Lithuanian Railways officially unveiled at the Central station in Vilnius

Erlangen, Germany -The first type ER 20 CF freight locomotive from Siemens Transportation Systems has now been officially received in Lithuania. Joined by the CEO of Lithuanian Railways, Mr. Stasys Dailydka, Siemens Group President Mr. Hans M. Schabert and Mr. Algirdas Butkevicius, Lithuania’s Minister of Transport and Communications, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, Gediminas Kirkilas, took the opportunity to embark on a first trial run. At 138 metric tons, the new freight locomotive is one of the heaviest locomotives in Europe and, in double-headed operation, can haul trains of up to 6,000 tons and transport 50 percent more freight per route than before.

The six-axle type ER 20 locomotives are based on the Eurorunner family which was developed by Siemens for diesel locomotives. With a track gauge of 1520 mm, these locomotives are the first ones with modern AC three-phase traction built for the broad gauge market. The diesel engine variant used in Lithuania has an output of up to 2000 kW and can reach a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Due to its great weight and a starting tractive effort of 450 kN, it is able to haul trains weighing as much as 6,000 tons in double headed operation. This makes the ER 20 CF more efficient than the freight locomotives previously used in Lithuania with a maximum weight of 4,000 tons and ranks it among the most powerful locomotives on the European market. It is fitted with an on-board computer and a diagnostics system so that it can easily be operated by one locomotive driver alone, even during multiple-unit operation. Moreover, special emphasis was placed on ensuring low noise emissions. The Eurorunner for Lithuania is the first locomotive to be equipped with the new front end which is much safer and can be removed easily.

According to the CEO of Lithuanian Railways, Mr. Stasys Dailydka, it is a completely new step in the history of railway technical development in his country. “The entrance of the “Eurorunner ER 20 CF” into Lithuania’s railway infrastructure has exceeded all previous approaches to improve the rolling stock business”, claims the head of Lithuanian Railways. He also added that with 34 such giant locomotives Lithuanian Railways will have the most powerful locomotive base in Eastern Europe.

Lithuanian Railways placed a €123 million order for 34 diesel-electric locomotives of this type in 2005. All of the ordered vehicles are produced in Siemens’ locomotive factory in Munich. Today the second locomotive is already on its way to Lithuania. The completion of this delivery is scheduled for 2009. These locomotives will be deployed, above all, in the transportation corridor between Russia and the ports at the Baltic Sea, Klaipeda und Kaliningrad.

The locomotives of the Eurorunner family are available as four-axle or six-axle versions. Eurorunner is a platform for diesel locomotives which can be tailored to suit the customer’s needs. Depending on the relevant requirements, the Eurorunner is therefore also available in broad and standard gauge design with outputs up to 3500 kW, starting tractive efforts up to 550 kN, an on-board power supply, and top speeds of up to 160 km/h. The four-axle Eurorunner is already being used by Austrian Federal Railways, Kowloon-Canton-Railways in Hong Kong, Mitsui as well as by several private railway operators both in Germany and Austria.

The Transportation Systems Group (TS) of Siemens AG is one of the leading international suppliers to the railway 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 according to U.S. GAAP with around 18,800 employees worldwide.