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Railpool, Alstom and Captrain to run ETCS L2 tests

Marco Raimondi — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 06:55:40 +0000

New tests for the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 are underway in northern Italy. The initiative is led by Railpool, Alstom and Captrain along the Rho-Trecate line, running west of Milan.
“These are ESC check tests aimed at verifying compatibility on sections equipped with both ETCS L1 LS and L2. The tests will last approximately one month, after which Alstom will proceed with the application for a new APOM”, Alberto Lacchini, General Manager Italy at Railpool told RailFreight.com.

Key definitions in the context of ETCS and EU rail regulation:

ESC (European Specific Case) – national rules or adaptations that deviate from harmonised ETCS specifications but are required to account for local conditions such as infrastructure constraints, safety procedures or legacy systems.
APOM (Authorisation for Placing On the Market) – the EU procedure by which rolling stock and vehicle subsystems are authorised for entry into service, ensuring compliance with technical, safety and interoperability requirements, including ETCS compatibility.

On-board ETCS L2

The ETCS version which will be tested over the next month in Italy allows for continuous information communication. This means that locomotives and trains can be constantly monitored in real-time, while with ETCS L1 the information is transmitted only when a train passes above a trackside balise.

‘Stable situation, but costs worry’

ETCS is always a hot topic, especially regarding the financing and the fragmentation among Member States, which are carrying out the project at different speeds. Lacchini pointed out that, thanks to the efforts made by the country’s infrastructure manager RFI, the situation is stable at the moment. “The fact that RFI agreed to proceed with the implementation of ETCS BL3.4 on board locomotives represented a major step forward for locomotive owners”, he explained.

However, “the organisation of test runs remains quite complex given the large number of fleets affected in relation to network availability”, Lacchini added. Another issue concerns the costs, which are higher than those imagined a few years ago, increasing the complexity of its financial sustainability. Various industry associations, including ERFA, AERRL and ALLRAIL, went as far as saying that the current costs for ETCS deployment outweigh the advantages it will bring.

TRAXX AC3 Last Mile spotted in Serbia and Croatia

Majorie van Leijen — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 08:01:52 +0000

The iconic Bombardier Transportation Traxx AC3 Last Mile locomotive is now doing rounds in Serbia and Croatia. Transagent Rail, a leading rail freight forwarder in the Baltic region, has leased the locomotive from RailPool to serve its Serbia-Croatia lines.
The introduction of the Traxx AC3 locomotive has long been anticipated, as it is the first Traxx locomotive in the fleet of Transagent Rail. It also marks the further expansion of RailPool towards the Eastern-European market.

Raw materials

The commercial operation of the loc started on 19 July, with the use of the 187 305. The use of this unit on the Serbia-Croatia line was approved on 20 May 2020. Transagent Rail transports mainly raw materials such as iron ore and coal as well as semi-finished products and intermodal units.

Bombardier to deliver 20 Traxx locomotives to Railpool

Majorie van Leijen — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 07:00:54 +0000

Bombardier Transportation will deliver twenty electric Traxx locomotives to rail vehicle leasing company Railpool. The order includes an option of up to 20 additional vehicles and is valued at a combined total of approximately 74 million Euros.

The first locomotives are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2019. Torsten Lehnert, CEO of Railpool, said: “This latest order increases Railpool’s fleet of Traxx locomotives to 217. Our first Traxx locomotive was delivered in 2009 – since then we had very good experiences regarding performance, traction effort, efficiency and reliability with our Traxx fleet. Based on this experience, we want to operate these additional locomotives on the most important European freight corridors, connecting several main European harbors.”

Bombardier Traxx 3 platform

Mike Niebling, Director Sales, Locomotives, Bombardier Transportation, added: “We are pleased that we can continue the very successful collaboration with Railpool, one of our largest locomotive customers in the freight ecosystem. Railpool has contributed significantly to the development of our Traxx platform over the last decade. This strategic partnership helps Railpool to enter new markets, achieve a broader offering and a higher capacity – based on our mobility solutions.”

The Bombardier Traxx 3 platform is a four-axle locomotive platform in Europe. Its three models, Traxx AC3, Traxx MS3 and Traxx DC3 all offer optional Last Mile function, a support diesel engine which bridges non-electrified sections.

Large-scale order

Bombardier announced on Friday that it has also signed a large-scale contract for rolling stock with an undisclosed customer in Europe. The order is valued at approximately 437 million euro. The customer is yet to be disclosed.

Railpool to increase Traxx fleet to 189 locomotives

Majorie van Leijen — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 10:29:29 +0000

Rolling stock leasing company Railpool is increasing its Traxx fleet with the ordering of twenty new Traxx MS locomotives from Bombardier. The fleet will count 189 units once the new locomotives have been delivered. The delivery is due to take place between May 2018 and December 2019.

The locomotives will be equipped to run on 15 and 25 kilovolt alternative current, as well as 1.5 and 3 kilovolt direct current electrification systems and will be certified to operate in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. They will be assembled at Bombardier’s facility in Kassel, Germany.

Traxx locomotives

Traxx locomotives are characterised by their steel bodyshells, the two bogies with two powered axles each, the three-phase asynchronous induction motors, the cooling exhausts on the roof edges and the wheel disc brakes. Due to their compatibility with alternative and direct current electrification systems, the vehicles are very suitable for the European railway market, which knows a large system variety.

The sole manufacturer of the locomotive is Bombardier, a leading rolling stock manufacturer in the world and provider of the European railway security system ERTMS. Bombardier has been delivering Traxx locomotives to the market since 1998, although the Traxx brandname was only introduced in 2003.