What could be more exciting than anticipating the new innovations that lie ahead? Which locomotives will steal the spotlight and redefine the market in 2025? We’ve rounded up 22 of the most exciting prospects.
There will be much more…
This list highlights orders we already know are on the way. But the real excitement lies in the unexpected: secret locomotive designs in development, cutting-edge prototypes being assembled, and bold new colour schemes still on the drawing board. We’ll keep track of them all as they emerge.
For now, let’s dive in and explore what’s coming next:
Lease companies
Northrail / RIVE Traxx 3 MS
Secretly, there has already been the first report of a Traxx locomotive for Northrail. At Alstom in Kassel, work is in full swing on the first multi-system Traxx 3 locomotive for Rive, which will be marketed (and managed) under the Northrail brand name. This marks quite a step for the company, which just a few years ago was primarily known as a lessor of diesel shunting locomotives.
Through Siemens’ Smartron and Vectron Dual Mode, the leasing company is entering the international interoperable rail transport market. The contract was signed in 2023 — a framework agreement for no less than 50 locomotives, with an initial fixed order for 15 units, including eight years of full-service maintenance.
Northrail plans for the first locomotives to connect France/Luxembourg with Poland, a configuration already familiar from CFL Cargo. Since 2024, images have surfaced of an impression of a white locomotive with orange and blue stripes, reminiscent of the Vectron Dual Mode’s design. Knowing Northrail, some locomotives will adopt this look, while others will remain more neutral, allowing lessees to be creative with the design.
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