Vossloh and Angel Trains Group jointly announced on 20 September 2006 that Angel Trains has placed an order with Vossloh España for 18 new-generation EURO 4000 diesel-electric locomotives, with an option for another 12 (thus resulting in a potential total order of 30 locomotives). The locomotives will be built at the facility in Valencia, Spain.

Angel Trains’ specialist locomotive leasing unit, Angel Trains Cargo, will lease the locomotives to rail freight operators in Spain, France, Belgium and Germany, as well as to passenger train operators in Germany, with deliveries commencing from February 2008. The firm order is valued at over € 55 million.

The EURO 4000 is a six-axle main line locomotive completely designed and manufactured in Valencia, Spain, with a sixteen cylinder 4,000 horse power diesel engine and an electric traction package supplied by Electro-Motive Diesel of LaGrange, Illinois, USA.  The EURO 4000 locomotive is the latest in a long line of diesel-electric locomotives developed by the Valencia plant, and it meets all the latest European standards including emissions and crashworthiness.
The new locomotive is expected to allow Angel Trains Cargo to satisfy the growing demand of its existing clients in the domestic markets in France, Belgium and Germany and especially for cross-border traffic, complementing Vossloh’s smaller diesel-hydraulic locomotives already offered in these markets.

In Spain, Angel Trains can now offer leased locomotive solutions to a variety of emerging independent rail freight operators, following the liberalisation of this market, making Angel Trains the vanguard of European rail freight expansion. Operators can enter into full service maintenance arrangements with Vossloh, optimising the operation of the locomotives.

André Bloemen, General Manager, Angel Trains Cargo, said: “This large order is another milestone in the development of our business. It takes the fleet of locomotives we have bought since our establishment in 2000 to 238 units and completes the range of traction solutions we can offer, ranging from lower powered shunting locomotives to six-axle heavy haul machines and main line electric locomotives in both single voltage and multi-system versions. This unrivalled product line-up, fleet scale and geographic coverage is important in the evolving rail freight market in Europe. It permits us to accompany the development of some key existing clients, whilst opening up the potential for us to address some important operators emerging in new markets such as Spain”.

Iñigo Parra, the head of Vossloh’s locomotive division, said “Angel Trains has been a long-standing customer of Vossloh, with over 120 locomotives ordered from the Kiel factory. We are delighted now also to be supplying Angel Trains with our diesel-electric EURO 4000, the latest product from Valencia. The power, reliability and modern design of the EURO 4000 make it a very attractive product solution for many operators in an increasingly dynamic European rail market. As well as expecting strong demand for this product from our traditional Spanish market, we are pleased to be launching it into the standard gauge markets of northern Europe such as France, Belgium or Germany with a well-established and credible partner”.

Angel Trains Cargo is the market-leading locomotive lessor in Europe, with a strong position in France, Belgium and Germany.

The locomotive fleet of Angel Trains Cargo either in service or on order comprises:
21 x Vossloh G 1000 single-cab diesel hydraulic locomotives
59 x Vossloh G 1206 single-cab diesel hydraulic locomotives
5 x Vossloh G 1700 single-cab diesel hydraulic locomotives
41 x Vossloh G 2000 dual cab diesel hydraulic locomotives
11 x Siemens Herkules ER 20 diesel-electric locomotives
38 x Bombardier Traxx AC electric locomotives
35 x Bombardier Traxx MS electric locomotives
10 x Bombardier Traxx DC electric locomotives
18 x Vossloh EURO 4000 diesel-electric locomotives