Stadler has contracts in Spain and Slovakia in trouble

On the other hand, Stadler is expected to build dozens of freight locomotives for the Spanish state railway company Renfe Mercancias. The company announced on the Spanish procurement portal that it will place an order for twelve € 6000 locomotives with Stadler. According to Spanish media, the value, including the initial stock of spare parts, is 70.7 million euros, or 85.6 million euros including the Spanish value-added tax of 21 percent.

“The contract will be signed in accordance with the procedure at a later time,” Stadler spokesperson Fabian Vittori wrote upon request. If all goes well, the locomotives will be manufactured at the Stadler Valencia plant of the Spanish company Stadler. They are supposed to pull freight trains weighing 1,800 tons on the Pajares Pass, which connects the cities of Leon and Oviedo in northern Spain. The current route leads to the Bagares Pass, and the construction of the 24.7 km Bagares Railway Tunnel is nearing completion. The first locomotives are scheduled to come into operation at the end of 2022, with the entire contract term spanning 43 months.

The most powerful locomotive in Spain

The Euro 6000 electric is currently the most powerful locomotive in Spain. In July 2020, Spanish leasing company Alpha Trains signed a framework contract with Stadler for up to 21 units, which were intended for freighter Captrain España, as the first order for this locomotive.

Of these, 11 locomotives were initially strictly ordered and are currently being tested for approval between Barcelona and Figueres in Spain. Renfe has already ordered 59 domestic trains for €998 million from Stadler Valencia this year.

Stadler must outperform Skoda Transport

On the other hand, according to Slovak media, the Slovak State Railways ŽSSK plans to order four Kiss double-deckers from Stadler for 77 million euros. It is intended for regional traffic between the capital, Bratislava, and the cities of جيلilina and Coti in northern Slovakia. Vittori writes that the bidding process is “not yet complete”.

Should Stadler participate, the company headed by Peter Spuhler would outpace the supplier of former Czech ŽSSK house Škoda Transportation. According to Slovak media, the deciding factor could be that Stadler wants to subcontract local company ŽOS Vrútky for about 4 percent of the demand. Delivery time is 28 months.