AUSTRALIAN mining company and heavy-haul operator Fortescue has received two 14.5MWh battery-electric locomotives from Progress Rail.
Described as one of the world’s most powerful battery locomotives, the two eight-axle BE14.5BB units based on Progress Rail’s Joule platform were ordered by Fortescue in 2022. They were built at the manufacturer’s facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
A Fortescue spokesperson confirmed to IRJ that commissioning of the new locomotives will take place over the Christmas and New Year period when the railway will acquire and analyse data on their performance in heavy-haul operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Further details of their planned deployment will be confirmed in early 2026, with Fortescue set to hold an official lau...
AUSTRALIAN mining company and heavy-haul operator Fortescue has received two 14.5MWh battery-electric locomotives from Progress Rail.
Described as one of the world’s most powerful battery locomotives, the two eight-axle BE14.5BB units based on Progress Rail’s Joule platform were ordered by Fortescue in 2022. They were built at the manufacturer’s facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
A Fortescue spokesperson confirmed to IRJ that commissioning of the new locomotives will take place over the Christmas and New Year period when the railway will acquire and analyse data on their performance in heavy-haul operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Further details of their planned deployment will be confirmed in early 2026, with Fortescue set to hold an official launch event for the locomotives in Port Hedland in February.
“These 14.5MWh battery-electric locomotives aren’t concepts,” says Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, in a LinkedIn post. “They’re operational assets that are redefining what is possible for heavy-haul rail.”
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