News and Insights
RTC Tests ELP Euro9000 on the Brenner Corridor Following Italian Approval
Frauenfeld / Bolzano, 13. May 2026
Following the successful Italian approval of the Euro9000, European Loc Pool (ELP), together with Rail Traction Company (RTC), has started the first test runs as part of the practical homologation process in Italy. The focus is on the performance capabilities of the multi-system locomotive in demanding Italian freight operations, as well as on new opportunities for more efficient and interoperable transport solutions on the Brenner corridor between Germany, Austria and Italy, and on the Domodossola route between Switzerland and Italy.
With the approval for Italy, the Euro9000 expands its operational range onto one of Europe’s most important freight transport corridors. Both the Brenner corridor and the Domodossola route are among the key connections between Northern and Southern Europe and place high demands on performance, flexibility and cross-border interoperability. RTC is among the first operators to test the Euro9000 in operational service following its approval for Italy.
“We believe that technical development must constantly continue,” explains Martin Ausserdorfer, Managing Director of RTC. “The Euro9000 promises a significant improvement in operational efficiency, especially on the Brenner corridor.”
A central aspect of the tests is the possibility of operating international services in the future without additional locomotive changes. With its multi-system capabilities, the Euro9000 enables operations in Germany, Austria, the Benelux region and Italy, thereby creating the basis for interoperable transport concepts along the entire corridor.
“In the future, there will be more and more interoperable operations,” continues Ausserdorfer. “We need locomotives that can operate in Germany, Austria, the Benelux region and Italy and ideally run seamlessly across all networks.”
Until now, comparable services on the Brenner corridor have partly been operated with double traction. The Euro9000 will now demonstrate whether heavy train loads can be transported efficiently with only one locomotive in the future.
“The ELP locomotive promises performance levels that previously required two locomotives in some cases,” says Ausserdorfer. “That is exactly what we want to evaluate during the test runs.”
In addition to technical performance, RTC also highlights the importance of having a reliable full-service leasing partner. High availability, fast response times and solution-oriented cooperation in daily operations are considered particularly crucial.
“The most important things are service, availability and the ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently,” says Ausserdorfer. “Every day a locomotive cannot operate costs money.”
“The Euro9000 was not only developed for heavy international freight operations, but also to efficiently cover the first and last mile. This is one of the locomotive’s major advantages. Operators can manage services without additional shunting or diesel locomotives while simultaneously benefiting from the high performance on international corridors. Under 3 kV infrastructure, the Euro9000 shows its full strength: by additionally using the diesel engine as a boost, significantly more power becomes available. This allows even demanding operations to be handled efficiently and reliably. In this way, we create more efficiency, less complexity and a much more flexible train production,” says Willem Goosen, CEO of European Loc Pool.
Should the test runs prove successful, RTC sees further potential for the long-term deployment of the Euro9000 in international freight transport. In the future, additional international connections and further European markets could also be developed.
With the Italian approval and the ongoing test runs, ELP underlines the positioning of the Euro9000 as a high-performance multi-system locomotive for modern European freight corridors. The combination of high power output, multi-system capability and the additional diesel module enables flexible operations on both electrified and non-electrified routes and creates new opportunities for efficient international transport chains.
“With the Euro9000, we are now bringing our three years of operational experience from international markets into the Italian market as well. We are convinced that the locomotive will meet RTC’s expectations. As a next-generation locomotive, the Euro9000 sets new standards in efficiency and flexibility, both for the Italian market and for European rail freight transport,” says Willem Goosen.
About Rail Traction Company
Rail Traction Company was founded for the development of freight transport along the Brenner corridor, but the following years were characterised by significant milestones that often made RTC a pioneer in the search for new technical solutions.
RTC has decades of experience in grain transportation and operates daily services to Italy from Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia and Ukraine.
Over the years, thanks to the know-how acquired over time and the operational flexibility that has always distinguished the company, RTC has established itself as a reliable reference partner in a particularly complex market. This has recently enabled new partnerships with some of the most important freight forwarders in the grain sector.
Since October 2016, RTC has been the first railway company in Italy to operate grain trains with a total weight of up to 2,200 tonnes and a payload of 1,600 tonnes, and more than 90% of its services have so far been carried out with this operational model.
More about Hybrid Locomotives
European Loc Pool (ELP) focuses on innovative six-axle hybrid locomotives from Stadler, setting new standards in European rail freight transport. The EuroDual and Euro9000 locomotives are revolutionising European rail freight through their combination of electric and diesel operation, while also enabling seamless last-mile and shunting operations.
The Euro9000 is the new hybrid multi-system locomotive for pan-European operations. The locomotive offers tractive effort of up to 500 kN with 1.9 MW power output in diesel mode and up to 9 MW in electric mode. The Euro9000 platform is a further development of Stadler’s successful EuroDual and Euro4000 locomotive families.
About European Loc Pool AG
European Loc Pool (ELP) is a leading provider of innovative locomotive leasing and maintenance services headquartered in Frauenfeld, Switzerland. Its full-service leasing packages include modern six-axle hybrid locomotives that can be tailored to customers’ specific needs. Since its foundation in May 2018, ELP has served more than 33 operators across five countries.
ELP is committed to sustainability and uses advanced technologies to reduce environmental impact while improving operational performance. ELP’s experienced team places strong emphasis on safety, reliability and cost efficiency in order to exceed customer expectations.
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Press Contact:
Morena Di Nardo
Marketing & Communications
E-mail: morena.dinardo@europeanlocpool.com