Locomotives to haul night trains on the standard gauge network in Europe are already available, so the Trains for Europe project is not concerned with the procurement of locomotives. This page nevertheless outlines the locomotives that could be used to haul night trains. It is split into modern locomotives with good cross-border characteristics, and older locomotives with a more limited range that may nevertheless be used for some night train services in future.

Modern electric locomotives

Siemens Vectron
Maximum speed: 200km/h (some versions 160km/h, future versions 230km/h)
Operates in: 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇧🇬🇭🇷🇨🇿🇩🇰🇩🇪🇭🇺🇮🇹🇳🇱🇳🇴🇵🇱🇷🇴🇷🇸🇸🇰🇸🇮🇸🇪🇨🇭🇹🇷  (only 🇫🇷, 🇱🇺, 🇪🇸 to Barcelona, 🇧🇦, 🇲🇰, 🇬🇷 missing)
Still being manufactured
Availability: good. More than 1000 locomotives in operation, spread across leasing companies and incumbent rail operators
Read more on Wikipedia

Alstom/Bombardier Traxx
Maximum speed: 160km/h (some versions 140km/h, future versions 200km/h)
Operates in: 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇧🇬🇭🇷🇨🇿🇩🇰🇫🇷🇩🇪🇭🇺🇮🇹🇱🇺🇳🇱🇳🇴🇵🇱🇷🇴🇷🇸🇸🇰🇸🇮🇸🇪🇨🇭 (only 🇪🇸 high speed to Barcelona, 🇹🇷, 🇧🇦, 🇲🇰, 🇬🇷 missing)
Still being manufactured
Availability: good. More than 1000 locomotives in operation, spread across leasing companies and incumbent rail operators
Read more on Wikipedia

Siemens Taurus
Maximum speed: 230km/h (some versions 200km/h)
Operates in: 🇦🇹🇧🇬🇨🇿🇩🇪🇭🇺🇮🇹🇵🇱🇷🇴🇸🇰🇸🇮🇸🇪🇨🇭 (🇩🇰 possibly forthcoming, and not all versions can operate or even be converted to be operated in all countries)
No longer manufactured
Availability: reasonable. Many concentrated with publicly owned rail companies, but some also available to lease
Read more on Wikipedia

Škoda 109E
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇦🇹🇨🇿🇭🇺🇸🇰 (approval also possible for 🇩🇪🇵🇱)
Still being manufactured
Availability: possible to use in cooperation with ČD. Slovak Railways ZSSK 381 and DB class 102 are similar.
Read more on Wikipedia

Pesa Gama 111E / Newag Dragon
Maximum speed: 160km/h
Operates in: 🇵🇱
Still being manufactured
Availability: small classes of new locomotives for the Polish market – some available for lease. Diesel version of Pesa Gama also available, and multi-voltage versions of both Gama and Dragon are theoretically possible to order.
Read more about the Gama, and read more about the Griffin

SNCF BB36000
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇧🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹 (each locomotive can operate in either Belgium or Italy, not both. Approval for 🇱🇺 might be possible)
No longer manufactured
Availability: reasonable. Available for lease from Akiem.
Read more on Wikipedia

CFR 45 / BDŽ 46 / ŽS 461 / ŽCG 461 / MŽ 461
Maximum speed: 120km/h or 160km/h
Operates in: 🇧🇬🇭🇺🇲🇰🇲🇪🇷🇴🇷🇸 (possibly also 🇭🇷🇬🇷)
New versions still built by Softronic
Availability: plenty of 120km/h versions (also to lease from freight operators), number of 160km/h versions unknown
Read more on Wikipedia here, and specific to the former Yugoslavia here

Older electric locomotives still useful for night trains

ŽS 441 / ŽCG 441 / MŽ 441 / ŽFBH 441 / ŽRS 441 / HŽPP 1141 / HŽPP 1142
Maximum speed: 120km/h, 140km/h or 160km/h, depending on the version
Operates in: 🇧🇦🇭🇷🇲🇰🇲🇪🇷🇸
No longer produced
Availability: cooperation needed with state railways in each country needed to operate these, availability good.
Read more on Wikipedia, and specifically about the 1142 here

DB 101
Maximum speed: 220km/h
Operates in: 🇦🇹🇩🇪
No longer manufactured
Availability: all owned by Deutsche Bahn, but excess locomotives are available (as DB steadily reduces numbers of loco-hauled daytime trains)
Read more on Wikipedia

DB 120
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇩🇪
No longer manufactured
Availability: good. Can be purchased second hand from Deutsche Bahn – details here
Read more on Wikipedia

SNCF BB26000
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇫🇷
No longer manufactured
Avilability: good, if collaboration with SNCF were possible
Read more on Wikipedia

SJ Rc6
Maximum speed: 160km/h
Operates in: 🇸🇪🇳🇴
No longer manufactured
Availability: good – different operators run these in Sweden already, available to lease
Read more on Wikipedia

Trenitalia E.402
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇮🇹
No longer manufactured
Availability: reasonable, if a cooperation with Trenitalia is possible
Read more on Wikipedia

SBB Re 460
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇨🇭
No longer manufactured
Availability: limited, if a cooperation with SBB is possible. BLS operates a similar locomotive (465) – availability could be better.
Read more on Wikipedia

SNCB 13 / CFL 3000
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇧🇪🇱🇺 (and 25kV lines in 🇫🇷)
No longer produced (similar to SNCF BB 36000, see above)
Availability: used to be used for passenger services, mostly now with Lineas for freight. Leasing possible.
Read more on Wikipedia here

SNCB 18
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇧🇪 (and 25kV lines in 🇫🇷, 🇱🇺 forthcoming)
No longer produced (it was a forerunner to Siemens Vectron, see above)
Availability: limited, but possible if SNCB is partner for the Belgian part of a night train route
Read more on Wikipedia

Renfe 252
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇪🇸 (can operate high speed line to Barcelona), 🇫🇷 (to Perpignan)
No longer produced
Availability: possible to use for the specific cross-border standard gauge route to Barcelona. Broad gauge version also exists.
Read more on Wikipedia

OSE 120
Maximum speed: 200km/h
Operates in: 🇬🇷 (approval for 🇲🇰 and 🇷🇸 would be possible)
No longer produced (similar to Renfe 252)
Availability: possible to use for the specific cross-border route to Thessaloniki, and onwards to Athens.
Read more on Wikipedia

Photos used on this page

Phil Richards
11.10.07 Timişoara Nord 450321
October 11, 2007
License: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Michael Day
SNCB / NMBS série 13, no. 1343, Arlon
September 26, 2007
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Pascal Hartmann
SBB: Re 460 083
August 12, 2018
License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Rob Dammers
Brohl-Lützingen DB 101 056 IC 119 Innsbruck Hbf DB 101 097
July 26, 2018
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Schnitzel_bank
ES64 U2-007 in Diensten von DB Fernverkehr
February 27, 2016
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Pascal Hartmann
Thello/Akiem: BB 36012
May 11, 2018
License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Renaud CHODKOWSKI
11092017-7377 – SNCF – BB26038 @Barisey-la-Côte
May 15, 2017
License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Albert Koch
Nighttrain to Reggio di Calabria
September 27, 2019
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Nelso Silva
RENFE 252.034
January 17, 2016
License: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Nelso Silva
SNCB HLE18 1884
August 16, 2019
License: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Albert Koch
Vectron Barneveld
November 6, 2020
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Albert Koch
TRAXX Rotterdam
March 21, 2012
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Antti T. Nissinen
Belgrade Train Station
June 23, 2011
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

John Mulrine
HŽ 1142 008 Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor
July 28, 2017
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Phil Richards
21.04.10 Θεσσαλονίκη/Thessaloníki 120015
April 21, 2010
License: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Martin Grill
ČD 380.008-3, EC 104 “Sobieski”, Břeclav, 250
August 9, 2019
License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Krzysztof D.
EU160-026
March 6, 2021
License: Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Adam Kilian
111Eb-004 Gama
April 15, 2017
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Rob Dammers
Millingen DB 120 132 met de CNL naar Kopenhagen
July 17, 2014
License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Trainspotter LGs
SJ Rc6 1417 spotted in Stockholm Central Station
January 10, 2017
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Trainspotter LGs
RPOOL Vs. ELL or Traxx Ac3 Vs. Vectron ?
September 25, 2016
License: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)