Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler has received an order to supply three metre-gauge locomotives to Bolivia’s Ferroviaria Andina (Andean Railway) FCA.
The new SALi (South American Light Loco) model has been specially designed to operate at high altitudes and features acoustic and heat-insulated driver cabs to protect from extreme temperatures.
Stadler describes the SALi as an “ultra-lightweight” design which is able to deliver a “high-power output at great altitude with reduced fuel consumption”.
The locos, which will be built in Valencia, will have a maximum operating speed of 100 km/h.
Designed for freight use, the SALi locomotives will be used on the Bioceanic Rail Integration Corridor which will connect the Peruvian port of Ilo with the port of Santos, near Sao Paulo Brazil, via Bolivia.
