First Northrail Electric-Electric Hybrid Locomotive Trial

On January 12, the first Northrail electric-electric hybrid locomotive developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. was shipped to Europe. It will be used for traction and shunting operations on European railway trunk lines after type testing in Germany. The locomotive was developed from the Modula high-power locomotive technology platform and meets the EU Railway Interoperability Technical Specifications (TSI certification) and multi-national certification requirements. It adopts a “multi-standard overhead contact network + power battery” combination power supply, with a maximum operating speed of 100 kilometers and a maximum traction power of 2,500 kilowatts, and can achieve non-stop switching between areas with and without a network.

The Modula platform was jointly developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary Vossloh Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. As one of the representative products of the Modula platform, the Northrail electric-electric hybrid locomotive adopts a modular design and belongs to the EBB (electric-electric hybrid) model.

Since 2018, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. has customized and developed a number of new energy hybrid locomotives for European customers, achieving a breakthrough in rail transit products serving the high-end European market. In 2020, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. wholly acquired Vossloh Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. of Germany. Its first EBB locomotive participated in the Berlin Rail Transit Exhibition in Germany in September 2022 and became the focus of the exhibition. The shipment of this locomotive fully demonstrated CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd.’s leading technological advantages in the field of new energy locomotives, and it is another important milestone for the company’s products to enter the international market.