Polo Logistica FS purchased eight DE 18 locomotives

Polo Logistica FS purchased eight Type DE 18 locomotives, manufactured by Vossloh Rolling Stock, used by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) in the Strait of Messina and for maintenance operations. This was announced by the companies on 21 May 2024 and Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal, a company of the FS Italiane Group's Polo Logistica, is expanding its fleet for shunting services and as rescue trains.

The DE 18 locomotives built by Vossloh Rolling Stock are already being used by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, leader of the FS infrastructure Business Unit, for shunting work on the ferries in the Strait of Messina and by the infrastructure departments in Naples and Turin for line maintenance. The purchase of the new locomotives is part of the Polo Logistica’s investment plan to modernise and renew its fleet, with a particular focus on sustainability and environmental protection.

The DE 18s chosen by Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal are equipped with systems for demand-based power optimisation, with ETCS, SCMT and SSC, the technological systems specific to all Italian lines, which guarantee operators maximum flexibility. The locomotives Yasmina, Alessia, Barbara, Franca and Sylvana will be used on the 'Strait of Messina', while Arya, Nadia and Lucia will be used for maintenance work.