#5553
New Zealand DL class locomotive
🇨🇳 China ·built by CRRC Dalian Co., Ltd.· from 2009· class of New Zealand diesel-electric locomotives
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. DL 9020 on MP4: Alex Burgess· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The New Zealand DL class of diesel-electric locomotives was manufactured for KiwiRail by CRRC Dalian with engines from MTU. They were the most powerful diesel-electric locomotives in service in New Zealand until the introduction of the DM locomotives to the South Island in 2025. In 2009, an order for 20 locomotives was placed (delivered 2010–2011), and a further 20 were ordered in 2011 (for 2012 delivery but postponed to 2013 due to reliability issues). A third batch of eight was ordered in September 2013 (delivered 2015).
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 17 years ago, in 2009.
- 2.7 MW is about 32 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 18 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 18.5 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 2009–2023
- in service from
- 2010
- status
- in service
- number built
- 73
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇨🇳 China
- builders
- CRRC Dalian Co., Ltd.
- operators
- KiwiRail
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- 2.7 MW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co-Co
- length
- 18.5 m
- weight
- 108 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7015303, Wikipedia: New Zealand DL class locomotive (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.