SBB Re 460

The series was introduced as part of the Rail 2000 project, a massive project to modernise and improve the capacity of Switzerland's railways. Upon their entry into service in the early 1990s, they replaced the Ae 3/6I, Ae 4/7, and Re 4/4I series units, and displaced many of the Re 4/4II series into lesser duties. When SBB was split up on 1 September 1999, locomotives Re 460 No. 079–118 were assigned to the freight division, later becoming SBB Cargo. It was seen as an advantage to use all Re 460, which had been designed for , for passenger service. The passenger division passed the Re 6/6 to SBB Cargo and bought Re 460 079–095 on 1 January 2003, 096–102 in 2004, and the rest in 2005. While originally designed as a multipurpose locomotive, they are now used for passenger services only, often in conjunction with the IC 2000 double-decker or trainsets (often used to pull InterCity and InterRegio trains in the German and French language areas). Their freight role has been assumed by Re 482s, Re 420/421 and Re 620 (previously also Re 481). They are maintained at Yverdon. == Modernization ==

Starting in 2017, the Swiss Federal Railways enbarked on a modernization of the Re 460, to be finished in 2022. Other efficiency gains included switching off tractive power to individual bogies when not needed, using more efficient air compressors, and operating transformer cooling fans only as needed. The revamped locomotives can be externally identified by the front-facing logo, the number mounted on the side of the front, and by their glossy, as opposed to matte, red paint. ==Naming and liveries==

Like several other Swiss locomotives (e.g. Ae 6/6, Re 6/6, Re 450), almost all Re 460 locomotives are named. In case of the Re 460, the names are applied below the cab window at one end. : Advertising Due in part to their large, mainly flat bodysides, Swiss Federal Railways were approached early on with requests for the Re 460 to be used as mobile advertising hoardings. Despite opposition from some quarters, the money that could be earned swayed the decision, and the first such locomotive, Re 460 015, was unveiled in 1994 in Agfa livery. Today no other loco type in Switzerland carries so many different liveries. : ==BLS Re 465==

Swiss company BLS operates 18 similar locomotives, designated Re 465. These locomotives have efficiency modifications, slightly higher power output and tractive effort and individual axle control rather than individual bogie control, but are otherwise identical to the Re 460. Numbered 001–018, all are named. These locomotives are used for both passenger and freight duties by BLS. near Lalden, pulled by two BLS Re 465 : ==Usage in other countries==

The MTR Corporation of Hong Kong also operated two Lok2000 variants for its cross-boundary service from Kowloon, Hong Kong, to Guangzhou, China. They were introduced in 1998 when the service was operated by the KCRC; accordingly, the train is called the KTT, which stands for "KCR Through Train". These long-distance trains had ten double-deck carriages and were equipped with knuckle couplers, instead of buffers and chain couplers. While the train had two locomotives, it was not operated in push-pull mode. The KTT service was cancelled in 2024, following suspension of the service from 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the opening of the faster Hong Kong Express Rail Link in 2018. Both locomotives have been in storage since then; however, beginning in January 2025, one locomotive was placed on display at Hung Hom station. The 46 Sr2 locomotives of VR (Finnish Railways) are closely based on the Re 460, as are the 22 NSB El 18 class used by Vy of Norway. Indian Railways' WAP-5 electric locomotives are also based on the Re 460. The shape of the modified version of China Railways SS9 electric locomotives is similar to Re 460. ==Accidents and incidents==

On 20 February 2015, locomotive No. 460 087-0 was involved in a collision with S-Bahn Class 514 electric multiple unit 514 146–2 at . ==See also==