The order expands MBC’s ongoing fleet renewal, adding two locomotives capable of operating on overhead lines as well as on diesel power inside industrial sites. The units will serve freight flows between Morges and Bière and form part of regional plans to shift more transport to rail.
The locomotives will draw power from overhead lines on the main network and use diesel engines inside industrial sites such as gravel pits. MBC will deploy them on the Bière–Apples–Morges line. The operator had already ordered one similar locomotive in 2024, bringing the total fleet of this type to three.
Each locomotive will weigh around 64 tonnes, measure 17 metres in length and reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h. The design offers 220 kN starting tractive effort and up to 3 MW of power. The units can also handle roll-on/roll-off operations, allowing standard-gauge wagons to be moved on metre-gauge infrastructure. Delivery is scheduled for the end of 2028.
MBC expects the new locomotives to replace older traction and contribute to shifting more freight from road to rail in the canton of Vaud. The operator estimates that increased rail capacity could remove around 20,000 lorry movements per year in the region.
The vehicles are part of a locomotive family developed jointly by Stadler and several Swiss narrow-gauge railways. Similar orders have been placed by MOB, RhB and MGB, enabling operators to benefit from shared development and maintenance synergies while still incorporating individual technical requirements.
