Belgian Railways Class 13

The Class 13 of the Belgian railways NMBS/SNCB is a type of mixed use multivoltage electric locomotive of the Traxis type, designed by Alstom in the late 1990s for the Belgian and Luxembourgish railways, with a top speed of 200 kilometres per hour. At the start of the 1990s SNCB needed fast, high power passenger locomotives for intercity trains and replacements for 1950s diesels used on steel industry freight, and set a minimum top speed of 200 kilometres per hour with capability to work under 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC. On 22 December 1995 NMBS/SNCB and CFL made a joint order with ACEC-Transport, a subsidiary of GEC-Alstom, for 80 units, 60 for Belgium and 20 for Luxembourg, with deliveries beginning in 1998. The first 10 locomotives were built at Alstom in Belfort and the rest at Bombardier Transportation's factory in Bruges, and the mechanical equipment is identical to that of the SNCF BB 36000. The locomotives operate push-pull trains with I11 coaches as well as freight trains.