DB Cargo is to purchase sixty Vectron multi-current locomotives for about a quarter of a billion euros at the initial stage.

By December 2017, the first five locomotives should be operational, with another fifty-five scheduled for delivery within the second half of 2018.

Serving the Rhine-Alpine corridor, through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands, and from early 2020, Belgium as well, each train will be equipped with European Train Control System (ETCS) technologies.

Deutsche Bahn foresees growth in the sphere of rail freight transport, inspiring its purchase of sixty Vectron multi-current locomotives, built by Siemens. Suitable for cross-border transport, the purchase forms part of a master agreement with the Siemens company, for the purchase of up to a hundred new, main-line locomotives for DB Cargo. The cost is estimated at a quarter of a billion euros.

"Thanks to the new locomotives, and other planned investments in modern freight wagons and additional operating staff, we’re creating optimal conditions to shift our transport towards rail, from road," comments Berthold Huber, a member of the DB Management Board for Passenger Transport and an Interim Member for Freight Transport and Logistics. "We’re doing more than simply capitalizing on the reorganization of DB Cargo as part of the Zukunft Bahn programme, or responding to today’s rising demand; we’re ensuring that we meet the potential of our master plan for rail freight transport, bringing cheaper track charges and translating those into better services for our customers."