FS Logistix has ordered eight Stadler bi-mode locomotives with up to 3 MW in electric mode for Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal, its company for shunting at ports, terminals and stations.

Stadler bi-mode locomotive in Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal livery under overhead wires
A Stadler EUROLIGHT Dual in Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal livery under overhead wires. Image: Stadler.

The four-axle EUROLIGHT Dual pairs 3 kV DC traction from the overhead line with a Stage V diesel engine. A single unit can therefore work on electrified and non-electrified routes alike. Stadler’s order announcement gives a starting tractive effort of 330 kN and an axle load of 20 tonnes, which the manufacturer says makes the design fit for main and secondary lines throughout Italy.

How the shunting company will use them

Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal carries out rail shunting at Italian ports, terminals and stations. It owns more than 200 locomotives and also offers leasing, including to other FS Group companies.

Livio Ravera, the company’s chief executive and general manager, said the bi-mode design lets one locomotive run both under catenary and on sections without it, “avoiding locomotive changes and simplifying operations”.

Each unit carries ETCS Baseline 3 Release 2 together with the Italian SCMT and SSC systems. Under the wire, regenerative braking sends energy back into the overhead line.

Dual-power shunters at La Spezia in 2024

In September 2024 the logistics division of the FS Group presented two DualShunter 2000 locomotives from the Czech manufacturer CZ Loko. Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal was to use them at the Port of La Spezia, and FS Logistix put the investment for the pair at €5.5 million.

FS Logistix put the maximum output of their diesel engine at 895 kW and the power supplied through the pantograph to their four electric motors at 2,200 kW. They were designed for work inside terminals and ports. Stadler rates the EUROLIGHT Dual at up to 3 MW in electric mode and describes it as suitable for main and secondary lines. The two companies do not state their electric figures on the same basis, so the numbers are not directly comparable.

The platform Trenitalia already has on order

The same locomotive type is on order for Trenitalia, the FS Group’s passenger operator. It signed a framework agreement with Stadler in 2023 for up to 50 units, with a first call-off of 13, for rescuing failed trains and for push-pull passenger services.

Stadler’s data sheet for the Trenitalia version lists a 1,800 kW diesel engine and a top speed of 160 km/h. The announcement of the new order does not give either figure for the Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal units.

Dual-power locomotives for FS Group companies: key figures
Figure DualShunter 2000 for Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal (presented 2024) EUROLIGHT Dual for Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal (ordered by FS Logistix, 2026) EUROLIGHT Dual for Trenitalia
Manufacturer CZ Loko Stadler Stadler
Units 2 8 Up to 50 under a framework agreement; 13 in the first call-off
Use or suitability, as stated Designed for shunting in terminals and ports Suitable for main and secondary lines Rescuing failed trains; push-pull passenger services
Electric figure, as each source states it 2,200 kW to four traction motors via the pantograph Up to 3 MW in electric mode 3,000 kW at wheel rim
Diesel engine power 895 kW Not stated 1,800 kW
Starting tractive effort Not stated 330 kN 330 kN
Axle load Not stated 20 t 20 t
Top speed Not stated Not stated 160 km/h

The new Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal units share the published starting tractive effort and axle load of the Trenitalia version. Electric figures are given on different bases and are not directly comparable across columns. “Not stated” means the source for that column gives no value.

Sources: FS Logistix, 25 September 2024; Stadler, 15 September 2026; Stadler data sheet, Trenitalia version.

Order value and delivery dates not disclosed

Sabrina De Filippis, chief executive of FS Logistix, said the purchase is part of an investment programme worth about €1 billion. She said it would add modern and flexible assets on the Italian network. The announcement does not give the value of the order or a delivery schedule.

Stadler, FS Logistix and Trenitalia plan to present the EUROLIGHT Dual together at InnoTrans 2026 on 22 September, on the Stadler stand.