Siemens Mobility and ELL sign framework agreement for purchase of 200 Vectrons

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  • Initial fixed call for 60 locomotives
  • Delivery beginning in 2025

European Locomotive Leasing Group (ELL), based in Vienna and Munich, and Siemens Mobility signed a framework agreement for the delivery of up to 200 further Vectron locomotives. Specifically, the locomotives will be provided in various power system variants for use in both passenger and freight service. Sixty locomotives were initially ordered and will be delivered successively beginning in 2025. This fourth framework agreement between ELL and Siemens Mobility further reinforces the long-standing and strong partnership between the two companies. By 2027, ELL will have at least 301 Siemens Vectron locomotives in service and thus operate Europe’s largest Vectron fleet. Over the medium term, the new agreement offers ELL the possibility of increasing its Vectron fleet to over 400 locomotives.

“For ELL, this agreement is a milestone in the company’s development. Our goal is to expand our market leadership in the areas of customer friendliness, reliability, and efficiency. We are convinced of the future of rail. Superior climate friendliness and cost-efficiency on the long international rail axes as well as the structural change in rail freight transport make the full-service leasing of locomotives a highly attractive business for the future. ELL is pursuing a consistent zero-emissions strategy. Our most important assets are our focused fleet policy and a comprehensive service network at more than 30 locations throughout Europe. The development partnership with Siemens and the concentration on a standardized locomotive type are an important building block for us to successfully prevail in this market,” said Christian Kern, CEO European Locomotive Leasing Group.

“For many years now, ELL has been relying on the quality and reliability of our Vectron locomotives. This new framework agreement makes a further contribution to climate protection and again underscores the advantages offered by our locomotive platform. With the Vectron, ELL can react flexibly to customer requirements and offer different configurations for providing cross-border transport throughout Europe,” said Albrecht Neumann, CEO Rolling Stock at Siemens Mobility.

The agreement in detail

In the framework agreement, ELL secures the procurement of a wide range of multi-system locomotives, including the Vectron Dual Mode. By ordering optional packages, ELL can precisely equip the locomotives to meet specific requirements and applications, and for service in special areas. It was also agreed that Siemens Mobility will actively support ELL in further strengthening its competence regarding vehicle operation, maintenance, and servicing.

The Vectron as a success factor

Since its first delivery in 2012, more than 2,200 locomotives from the Vectron family have been sold to 95 customers and the fleet has covered a total of over 850 million kilometers. The locomotives are currently approved for operation in 20 European countries. The Vectron and its variously equipped variants are built in the Siemens Mobility plant in Munich-Allach.

Photo Credits: © ELL-Markus Schieder

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Partnership with Nederlandse Spoorwegen expanded

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We are expanding our partnership with Nederlandse Spoorwegen to a total of 16 locomotives which are currently being wrapped by FLEETSHIELD in Rotterdam with the characteristic dutch design.

Nederlandse Spoorwegen is a demanding customer and therefore a perfect match for our ELL Vectrons!

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ELL recently acquired its 200th Vectron locomotive…

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… from Siemens Mobility. A resounding success and the signs are very promising it will continue just as brilliantly. When Siemens Mobility invited the two business partners to a Danube tour on 7 September 2022, they took the opportunity to reflect on this achievement.

 

The fact is the ELL fleet will have grown to more than 217 different Vectron locomotives once the orders have been fulfilled. One hundred and seventy Vectrons are already flying the ELL flag, so to speak. Back in March 2014, the scope of delivery was around 30–50 locomotives. Less than a decade later, that number has increased many times over and the cooperation has been successful in every respect – and the future is looking very bright.

 

As our CEO Christoph Katzensteiner says: “The Vectron locomotives from Siemens Mobility are reliable, economical and very popular with our customers and we have come to rely on them a lot. This fleet of vehicles represents a key pillar of our business model. They allow us to operate flexibly and successfully in the European market.”

 

Arnulf Wolfram, CEO of Siemens Mobility Austria also agrees: “More than anything else, we are a reliable, good and long-term partner for our customers. The Vectron, in particular, makes a rail vehicle a long-term asset. We are continuously refining the modern locomotive and enhancing its application possibilities with updates to software, hardware and increased performance data. As a result, vehicle operators also benefit from a high level of investment security.”

 

But the Vectron is also a winner among its European rivals. Siemens Mobility has already put more than 1,500 of them into service in 16 countries. These vehicles have already covered no less than 500 million kilometres … and will soon be travelling even faster, thanks to an increase in the top speed from 200 to 230 km/h.

 

The late afternoon drew to a close on the upper deck of the Danube cruise ship, the sundowning rooftop as it were. The participants relaxed at a much lower top speed while listening to some pretty cool music and sipping an excellent glass of wine, discussing engaging topics and simply chatting with their colleagues from Siemens.

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May 2022: ELL Team Meeting and LOCMASTA Opening Ceremony

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On 18 and 19 May 2022, after two long years of the Covid-19 pandemic, ELL held a long-overdue team meeting in Vienna combined with the opening of the joint venture service station LOCMASTA (ELL, LTE and ÖBB) in Gramatneusiedl.

 

“It was a very busy two days, but the focus was on feeling good,” remembers Christoph Katzensteiner. The colleagues met again for the first time in a long time, and visibly enjoyed themselves. In this spirit, the first item on the agenda was the team meeting, with an extensive programme.

On the first day, fitness studio GK-Studio provided some top tips for proper nutrition and physical fitness at the workplace and made an appeal to employees not to neglect exercise after work either. In short: a good work-life balance can and should start in the office.

As ELL’s headquarters are located so close to Schönbrunn Palace, it made sense to dedicate day two to the imperial family: this started with a “Tabtour”, a scavenger hunt that is both fun and involves solving various tasks as a team, which was much needed after so many months working from home. Six teams solved these tasks with flying colours and then refuelled with coffee and apple strudel in the Café Residenz.

A visit to the palace with a city tour along the Ringstraße not only led to a lunch break at the Renaissance Hotel, but also aimed to ring in another health-conscious new year.

 

Provided with the appropriate documents to take home, the employees from Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia got the chance to test themselves to see how many of the numerous tips they had taken on board, because at the rocking opening party for LOCMASTA, the Locomotive Service Station, there were some culinary sins that might have been slightly at odds with the knowledge they had just gained …

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Grand opening of LOCMASTA

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LOCMASTA, the Locomotive Maintenance Station, was opened in Gramatneusiedl on 20th May 2022 in glorious weather and in the presence of well-known names from the local railway industry.

 

The location may sound a little exotic at first, but Gramatneusiedl is actually right at the heart of Europe, where the continent’s most important transport corridors from all directions meet. “For ELL and our partners ÖBB Train Tech and LTE (Logistics & Transport Europe), this is the key factor,” says Christoph Katzensteiner, “because it minimises locomotive downtime and guarantees rapid operational readiness.” LOCMASTA was indeed created by the partners for light maintenance and service work. The 1,200 m2 workshop will therefore initially focus on ELL partners and Siemens Vectron locomotives. However, the site also serves as a stopover for train drivers and is a hotspot for training and further education, “because the ELL Academy aims to meet its partners’ needs for precise training, thus playing its part in efficiently counteracting the acute staff shortage in the industry,” says Katzensteiner in summary.

 

On the opening day, partners and friends of the business got the chance to see the operators’ drive for perfection for themselves at a successful presentation on site, accompanied by culinary and musical treats.

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A daily train to safety

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All of Europe is trying to help as best it can to prevent the spiral of horrors from spinning even faster these days. The ELL team also wants to help: since 31st March 2022, it has been working with long-standing partner RegioJet to bring people displaced from the war zones of Ukraine to safety.

The train from Przemysl travels to the Czech capital Prague every day. Our locomotive 193-226-8 has become something of a symbol for the enthusiasm of our colleagues on the railways but is now also a place for thousands of displaced persons to pause and take a breath. And it may also provide the glimmer of hope that we are all longing for.

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Nederlandse Spoorwegen operates ELL Vectron non-stop on Amsterdam-Berlin route

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It’s no secret that Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is looking to shorten the journey time from Amsterdam to Berlin. It achieved this for the first time when it operated the reliable multi-system ELL locomotive 193 263 on 15th February 2022 and cut out a 20-minute stop in Bad Bentheim on the Dutch-German border, as this allowed the train to operate as a normal Intercity train.

The ELL Vectron leased by NS as a Nightjet to Cologne and Frankfurt has so far been able to keep to the timetable while observing the different maximum speeds on both sides of the border thanks to the one-off change. It is therefore hoped that this will be more than just a one-time experiment and will bring noticeable benefits for passengers. In any case, the ELL Vectron is ready.

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Flying Dutchman shines in Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) design

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Our “Flying Dutchmen” leased to NS, the Dutch state railway, have recently been given a sleek new design in NS’ distinctive yellow and blue. The complete film-wrapping of the two locomotives was another milestone in our collaboration with NS and we are looking forward to a fantastic launch of the NightJet from Amsterdam to Vienna.

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ÖBB, LTE and ELL build new service centre in the greater Vienna area

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ÖBB, LTE and ELL create joint venture for new service centre in the greater Vienna area

(Vienna – 04/05/2020) – ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH (ÖBB TS), LTE Logistics & Transport Europe (LTE) and ELL European Locomotive Leasing (ELL) are forming a joint venture called ETL Lokservice GmbH to set up and operate a service base for locomotives.

ETL Lokservice: Start scheduled for autumn 2021
The new base is situated strategically at the intersection of international rail freight corridors, where maintenance will be performed on modern locomotives from autumn 2021. The three partners each bring something unique to the joint venture: LTE and ELL contribute modern locomotive fleets while ÖBB TS boasts long-standing know-how as an established and professional maintenance company for rail vehicles.

“After many years of planning and another year of negotiations with the competition authority in Brussels, the project is now entering the next phase”, say Michael Benda and Andreas Mandl, CFO and CEO of LTE, who are delighted that the next stage can now be tackled. “With the construction of the workshop at the Gramatneusiedl site, we are securing a strategic location in the greater Vienna area as well as creating new jobs in the region”, says Sandra Gott-Karlbauer, Managing Director of ÖBB TS. “In a 1,000 m² hall with four workstations, we expect to be able to serve all interested companies using state-of-the-art equipment from autumn 2021”, says Christoph Katzensteiner, CEO ELL.

ÖBB: Heute. Für morgen. Für uns. (Today. For tomorrow. For us.)
ÖBB, as a comprehensive mobility service provider, already carries 474 million passengers and 113 million tonnes of goods to their destinations each year. ÖBB offers a particularly eco-friendly way for passengers to travel, because 100 percent of its traction current comes from renewable energy sources. In 2018, ÖBB was one of the most punctual railways in Europe with around 96 percent punctuality. With railway infrastructure investments totalling approximately two billion euros per year, ÖBB is building the railway system of the future. Across the group, 41,641 bus and rail employees and an additional 2,000 apprentices ensure that some 1.3 million passengers reach their destinations safely every day. ÖBB is the backbone of society and the economy and is Austria’s largest member of the “climate protection companies” initiative. The group’s strategic lead company is ÖBB-Holding AG. With 3,600 employees at 22 locations, ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH is the largest maintenance company for rail vehicles and related components in Austria.

LTE Logistics & Transport Europe
In its 20th year, the LTE Group is one of the largest private rail transport companies in Europe and manages the network with nine subsidiaries and two affiliated companies in central and eastern Europe. Its 2019 turnover was around 150 million euros, with almost 500 employees operating 80 traction units.

ELL European Locomotive Leasing
ELL is a young, international locomotive leasing company with headquarters in Vienna and offices in Germany. The current locomotive fleet comprises 152 state-of-the-art Siemens Vectron locomotives for freight and passenger transport in Europe.

Queries:

ÖBB
Mag. Bernhard Rieder
ÖBB-Holding AG, Group Communications
Press Officer
Telephone: +43 1 93000 44277
bernhard.rieder@oebb.at
www.oebb.at

LTE Logistics & Transport Europe
Karin Juchem
Marketing & Public Relations
Telephone: +43 316 572020 246
karin.juchem@LTE-group.eu
www.LTE-group.eu

ELL European Locomotive Leasing
Katherine Rivera Flores
Management and Marketing Assistant
Telephone: + 43 1 810 5429
k.flores@ell.co.at
www.ell.co.at

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