Stadler has won a major contract to supply 35 EURO4001 diesel-electric mainline locomotives to TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş., reinforcing Turkey’s role as a strategic rail freight hub linking Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Under the agreement, Stadler will design, manufacture and deliver the Co’Co’ locomotives, alongside capital spares, consumables, special tools, test equipment and a three-year maintenance and repair package. The EURO4001 is Stadler’s most powerful diesel-electric locomotive platform, developed specifically for heavy freight operations on non-electrified routes and steep gradients.
The order continues the strong market performance of Stadler’s EURO locomotive family, with more than 400 units sold across Europe, Uruguay and Turkey. In Turkey, EURODUAL locomotives from the same family have already been operating reliably for several years, demonstrating high energy efficiency under demanding conditions.
Manufacturing will take place at Stadler’s Valencia competence centre. For local integration and commissioning, Stadler will work closely with its Turkish service organisation as well as domestic partners AYKAL Group A.Ş. and CERTIFER Türkiye, ensuring timely delivery and smooth entry into service.
From an environmental perspective, the EURO4001 fully complies with Euro Stage V emission standards. Compared with the existing fleet, the new locomotives reduce particulate matter emissions by over 90 percent and nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons by more than 50 percent. They are also interoperable under European TSI standards and are equipped with ETCS Level 2 as well as Turkey’s national ATS system.
The contract aligns with Turkey’s broader rail freight strategy. Ongoing market liberalisation and infrastructure investment aim to shift more freight from road to rail and position the country as an international logistics gateway. As part of this push, Turkey is targeting annual rail container volumes of around 400,000 units by 2030, a sharp increase from approximately 29,000 containers in 2021.
With this latest order, Stadler strengthens its footprint in the Eastern Mediterranean and Eurasian corridor, supplying high-power, low-emission traction for one of the region’s most strategically important freight networks.
Editor’s note
Until now, the EURO4001 had only been sold in France, to Alpha Trains and Captrain, as well as to Portren in Uruguay. With this latest order, Turkey becomes the third country where the EURO4001 platform is being introduced. In addition, EURODUAL locomotives have already been operating in Turkey for several years. Nine units are in service with Körfez Ulaştırma, while a further five locomotives are operated by Arkas Rail. In terms of the carbody structure and bogies, these locomotives are identical, underlining the shared technical foundation of Stadler’s EURO locomotive family.