SBB Cargo Switzerland has officially withdrawn its 12 Re 474 mainline locomotives from service at the end of 2025, marking a new stage in its long-term strategy to modernize and standardize its rolling stock fleet. The measure is part of a comprehensive program through which the company intends to completely renew its fleet of locomotives and freight cars by 2040, significantly reducing typological diversity and operating costs.
Re 474 locomotives, removed from the portfolio after two decades of operation
The Re 474 locomotives, manufactured by Siemens and delivered to SBB Cargo Schweiz in 2005, were initially used for long-distance freight transport.
They were subsequently leased to SBB Cargo International, mainly for cross-border traffic between Switzerland and Italy.
Against the backdrop of declining rail freight volumes in Europe, SBB Cargo International decided to withdraw these locomotives from its portfolio and return them to SBB Cargo Switzerland by mutual agreement.
As the Swiss operator no longer has an operational role for these multi-system locomotives, the vehicles are being offered for sale on the market.
The 12 Re 474 units represented the smallest sub-fleet within SBB Cargo Switzerland’s fleet of mainline locomotives.
Their withdrawal contributes directly to the strategic objective of drastically reducing the number of locomotive types in use.
A standardization strategy for competitive rail freight transport
According to the company, a modern and efficient fleet is essential for maintaining the competitiveness of rail freight transport.
In this context, SBB Cargo Switzerland is pursuing a thorough standardization of its rolling stock, adapted to both its production concept and customer needs.
Currently, the operator uses a complex combination of mainline locomotives, shunting locomotives, and freight wagons, many of which are at the end of their service life.
Maintaining these vehicles is costly and resource-intensive, while also affecting operational availability.
Through standardization and more efficient maintenance, SBB Cargo Switzerland estimates that it will be able to reduce its fleet operating costs by around 60%.
In addition, the introduction of modern vehicles is seen as a key step towards greater digitization and automation of rail freight transport.
Mainline locomotives: from six types to just one
In 2025, SBB Cargo Switzerland’s fleet included around 200 mainline locomotives of six different types. By 2035, the company plans to reduce this diversity to a single type of modern locomotive, supplied by Stadler Rail Valencia S.A.U..
Locomotives that reach the end of their service life will either be sold or dismantled after recovering still usable components, in accordance with the circular economy principles promoted by the company.
Shunting locomotives: reduction to two types after 2030
A significant simplification is also planned in the shunting locomotive segment. SBB Cargo Switzerland currently operates four different types of shunting locomotives. After 2030, the fleet will be limited to just two types:
- the Eem 923 locomotive, designed for light shunting and distribution services;
- a larger vehicle with high power and traction, capable of handling heavy operations and flexible uses.
This structure would fully cover the company’s operational needs with a minimum number of vehicle types.
Freight cars: standardization to three types by 2040
In addition to locomotives, the renewal strategy also targets the freight car fleet. SBB Cargo Switzerland intends to standardize its own cars and reduce them to three types of versatile cars by 2040, usable in a wide range of logistics applications.
Specialized wagons that do not fall into these three categories can be supplied directly by customers or leased by SBB Cargo Switzerland as needed.
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