photo: Alstom/The H3 Hybrid Shunting Locomotive Project started in August 2013
DB Cargo wants 50 new hybrid locomotives until three years and another 200 until 2027. Those should replace current diesel ones. Tender evaluates mostly price, but it gives weigh too other factors too. The company wants charging stations and spare part too. The new locomotives will be used for shunting.
Last year, DB Cargo signed a framework agreement with Siemens Mobility for supply of 400 new hybrid locomotives. Now they search who will supply them with next 250 locomotives. On the other hand, those will be used for shunting and they will replace the original diesel locomotives.
Competitors must prove that they had on average at least 100-million-euro turnover in the rail vehicles in the last three years. They also need to prove that they produced at least 30 locomotives in the last 7 years. Finally, they need to provide DB Cargo with a proof that at least one locomotive has been delivered to one of the EU countries, Switzerland, or Norway in the last 10 years or during the required period.
DB Cargo consider the price to most important in the tender. It will make up 60% of the evaluation. The technological concept will make up 15% of the evaluation and the terms of the contract and the delivery date will be evaluated after 10%. Finally, the 5% of the evaluation DB Cargo lost somewhere. The winner would be only one and the contract would start with them during October this year lasting six years.
The winner of the competition will be required to design, develop, manufacture, commission, approve and deliver the locomotives. At the same time, DB Cargo will require charging stations and spare parts for locomotives. 50 locomotives will be required between 24 and 38 months after the order.
Hybrid locomotives can save up to 50% of fuel and thus reduce physical emissions by up to 70%. They can reduce noise emissions by up to 80%, but all these values will depend on the type of locomotives that will be delivered. Due to the fact, that the manufacturer has the possibility to design their own locomotives, it is not possible to say what data the locomotive will have. On the other hand, the Vectron Dual Mode, which is supplied by DB Cargo from Siemens Mobility, has a traction power of 2400 kW and its maximum speed is 160 km/h. The locomotives designed to shift may have lower values.
Today, DB Cargo has over 2.5 thousand locomotives and employs over 30 thousand people. It has almost 80,000 freight cars in its fleet, making it one of the largest railway carriers. Until last year, they were able to reduce noise from their locomotives by 50% and are further implementing new intelligent systems. In general, they are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, including by taking "green" electricity.