DB Cargo UK Completes Trial of Class 93 Tri-Mode Locomotive

DB Cargo UK has announced the successful completion of a trial utilising a Class 93 tri-mode locomotive on an intermodal service in the North West.

The trial, which was carried out in collaboration with Rail Operations Group and Network Rail, saw DB Cargo UK use the 93006 locomotive to haul a Peel Ports service from Seaforth (Merseyside) to Mossend (Glasgow) and back again on Tuesday 10 March.

The latest from Stadler; the Class 93 tri-mode locomotive was manufactured in Valencia and is capable of utilising four different modes of traction. In electric mode, it can run on 25kV AC overhead lines with a power of up to 4,000kW (4MW), with an extra 600kW (0.6MW) of boost power from the battery.

Each vehicle features a Stage V 900kW engine and a set of two Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) traction battery packs, allowing them to operate on non-electrified lines. These battery packs are capable of providing 400kW of extra power, supplementing the engine when the locomotive is running in diesel/battery or hybrid mode. They can also work alone, enabling full cargo-free operations.

Mark Sargant, DB Cargo UK’s Head of Operations, said:

The trial of the Class 93 was conducted as part of an ongoing review of our future fleet investment strategy, and we were impressed with its performance.

We also took the opportunity to take along representatives from the train driver union ASLEF, to ascertain their views on its’ performance out on the network