MSC Expands Rail Fleet with New Electric Locomotives

MSC has expanded its rail fleet at its newest MEDWAY branch in Belgium with the order of 15 new electric locomotives. 

The new locomotives will increase capability at this important Northwest Continent terminal and will be employed for cross-border freight transport in Europe as well as supplementing container transport by ship in serving the eastern hinterland of Antwerp. 

Salvatore Prudente, Executive Director of MEDWAY, commented: “MSC continues to invest at a European level via its MEDWAY arm to strengthen its intermodal offering, improving its capacity to serve clients not only with its core deep-sea solutions, but also inland. Improving these areas provides our customers with a portfolio of services and solutions designed to simplify and support their supply chain. 

“Our teams of experts are constantly monitoring both customer needs and market trends and we see a great deal of sense in investing in our intermodal capabilities, as customers are increasingly encouraged to move overland cargo by rail.”

Investing in Flexibility and Sustainability

The Vectron MS locomotives, manufactured by Siemens Mobility, have a a top speed of 160 km/h. 

“With their record for reliability and flexibility, our Vectron locomotives enable sustainable cross-border freight transport throughout Europe,” said Albrecht Neumann, CEO Rolling Stock, Siemens Mobility.

The new locomotives will be deployed within an East-West geographical scope, improving connections and capacity between Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Poland, and landlocked central and Eastern areas such as Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, providing customers with a more flexible, efficient and sustainable way of moving cargo inland.

Falling under MSC’s inland logistics partner MEDLOG, MEDWAY Belgium operates as a licensed freight rail operator in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria and began operations in July 2022. MEDWAY is currently a rail operator in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain and Italy and owns rolling stock, operated by partners, in Türkiye and India. MEDWAY runs 40,000+ trains yearly, covering over 8.2 million km, with a global fleet of 115 locomotives and 4,800+ railcars.