Alstom, a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer, has signed a contract with DB Cargo Belgium and DB Cargo Netherlands to provide full-service maintenance for 60 DE-6400 locomotives operating in the two countries. The contract stipulates that the French company will take care of preventive and corrective maintenance of the locomotives for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend the contract for two more.

For this service, Alstom will integrate the use of HealthHub. Launched by the company in 2014, HealthHub is a predictive maintenance tool able to monitor the health of trains, infrastructure, and signaling assets using advanced data analytics to predict their remaining useful life.

“This innovative approach of maintenance monitors the state of assets through various data capture solutions, for the more critical parts of the locomotives. This is particularly suitable for larger and dispersed fleets,” Alstom pointed out.

Alstom and DB Cargo NL: an 18-year-long relationship

The relationship between Alstom and DB Cargo is long and solid. “This contract confirms the long-standing and trusted 18-year relationship between DB Cargo Nederland and Alstom, and the former Shunter, in Rotterdam,” Alstom highlighted.

“We are very pleased and honoured to be awarded the extension of the maintenance partnership with DB Cargo Netherlands and DB Cargo Belgium. This new contract is a confirmation of the confidence DB Cargo has in our capacities to meet their needs by serving a high level of service in order to have a fully operational locomotives fleet,” said Frank Strik, Managing Director of Services Benelux.

The DE-6400 locomotive fleet is vital for those rail sections in Belgium and the Netherlands without overhead lines, including shunting yards, terminals, and rail connections. “The maintenance of the Belgian fleet can also be executed in Alstom’s Bruges facilities to maintain the fleet geographically close to the DB Cargo operation,” the company stated.

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