Green Cargo expands its Mb locomotive fleet

During the Christmas period, two new Transmontana locomotives will be put into service, with the designations Mb 4017 and Mb 4018. The locomotives were ordered a year ago and were delivered to Sweden earlier in the autumn. The two new locomotives will initially go into existing customer arrangements within the Swedish basic industry.

Since autumn 2018, Green Cargo has strengthened the vehicle fleet with six-axle Transmontana locomotives, with the designation Mb, from the locomotive supplier Softronic. So far, 18 Mb locomotives have been delivered and as recently as April, four more locomotives were ordered. The basis is a framework agreement that enables more locomotive orders. In total, with this order, Green Cargo will have 22 Mb locomotives in service by 2024.

One Mb locomotive has the same traction power as two Rc locomotives, while at the same time it lowers energy consumption with an efficient electrical feedback. This enables both longer and heavier trains, but also lower costs, which strengthens the competitiveness of freight trains.

– With the traction power of the six-axle Mb locomotives, we make the customers' value chains more efficient. As an example, we reduced the number of steel shuttle trains by 200 per year thanks to the new locomotives, despite the same volume of goods. The longer and heavier trains we can run, the better. The Mb locomotive is a direct sustainable investment in the competitiveness of Swedish basic industry, says Markus Gardbring, Chief Operating Officer at Green Cargo.

Rising fuel prices and a widespread driver shortage in Europe are pushing up the freight price of long-distance international trucking. This has created a great demand for intermodal transport where, for example, containers and truck trailers are transported by rail. It can be advantageously used in Green Cargo's extensive freight train traffic to and from northern Sweden.

– With the Mb locomotives, we get good conditions to utilize the entire capacity in each train mode and fill the trains to the maximum. At the same time, we contribute to increased traffic safety on Swedish roads, reduced wear and tear and carbon dioxide emissions, says Markus Gardbring.