ROG's Class 93: First Bodyshell Complete

Stadler has started final assembly of the first from a batch of the Class 93 locomotives for Rail Operations (UK), finishing in late June the first bodyshell at the Valencia works. After a period of testing and approvals, the first locomotive is scheduled to be transferred to the United Kingdom in March 2023. Entry into service is set to take place a few months later, making Class 93 the first tri-mode locomotive that Stadler has ever designed and manufactured and the first to operate in the United Kingdom.

ROUK and Stadler signed a framework agreement in January 2021 for 30 locomotives, ordering an initial batch of ten for Rail Operations Group (ROG). Class 93 is a Bo’Bo’ mixed-traffic locomotive based on Classes 68 and 88, which have been operating successfully in the UK for several years. The locomotives will be able to run in electric mode on 25 kV 50 Hz with a maximum power of 4,600 kW. They also feature a 900 kW Stage V engine and two Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) traction battery packs, allowing them to operate on non-electrified lines.

The battery packs provide 400 kW extra power to supplement the engine when the locomotives are running in diesel/battery hybrid mode. The AC traction equipment with IGBT technology includes one inverter per axle, enabling better adhesion control and increasnig reliability. The Class 93 is capable of reaching a higher speed than the Class 68 and 88, i. e. 110 mph (177 km/h) in comparison with 100 mph (161 km/h).

The new fleet will enable ROUK to penetrate new operating markets, in particular express freight, previously unavailable using its existing locomotive fleet. Rail Operations (UK) is a leading provider of specialist train operating services to the British rail industry through its subsidiaries Rail Operations Group, Traxion and Orion. ROG is a provider of whole-life rolling stock services, testing and commissioning programmes, as well as rescue and other specialist services relating to rolling stock movements. Traxion is a provider of rolling stock storage solutions. Orion is a provider of fast-growing, high speed logistics and express freight, focussed on accelerating modal shift from air/road to rail.