This week, GB Railfreight (GBRf) announced that its latest locomotive, the Class 99, will operate solely on electricity or renewable fuels such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil). The Class 99s are set to enter service in late 2025.
The Class 99 will be the first heavy-haul freight locomotive capable of transporting significant volumes at mainline speeds on both electrified and non-electrified sections of the UK rail network. Rail freight is already the least carbon intensive solution for UK supply chains.
The new Class 99s are expected to reduce emissions by up to 58% per journey compared to the industry norm (the Class 66s) and are being offered exclusively to GBRf customers as a new solution for the sustainable movement of goods across the UK.
The UK moves c. GBP 30 billion worth of goods by rail each year. GBRf’s investment in the Class 99s aligns with the Government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower and will help reduce the environmental impact of transporting goods.
“With the Class 99s running exclusively on HVO on non-electrified lines, we can now provide our customers with a fully decarbonised solution for freight transport. This breakthrough is pivotal to our decarbonisation strategy and will help reduce the emissions associated with delivering goods to homes and businesses across the country. This marks the next step on our journey to lead the rail freight sector towards a greener future,” John Smith, Chief Executive Officer at GB Railfreight, said.
The Class 99 has been designed in collaboration with Beacon Rail and Stadler, who are manufacturing them at their Valencia factory. The first locomotive is expected to arrive in the UK in Spring 2025 and the full fleet is due to be operational by the end of 2026.
GB Railfreight unveiled its new hybrid Class 99 locomotive at InnoTrans in Berlin.
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