Slovenian Railways (Slovenske Zeleznice SZ) has exercised an option from its 2004 supply contract and placed an order for twelve Eurosprinter type locomotives with Siemens Mobility. This new order is worth EUR 48 million. In a ceremony attended by Radovan Žerjav, Slovenian Minister of Transport, both Tomaz Schara, General Director of Slovenian Railways, and Franz Geiger, Member of the Board at Siemens AG Österreich, signed a contract in Ljubljana involving an option for another eight locomotives.

The SZ 541 type locomotives just ordered come with three-system capability, which means they can be operated not only in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia but also in Italy and Croatia. Its 6,000 kW rating makes the SZ 541 equally suitable for heavy freight traffic and for fast passenger service. The four-axle locomotive weighs 86 metric tons, is built for a maximum speed of 200 km/h and has a starting tractive effort of 303 kN.

The twenty locomotives from the original supply contract were already delivered to the customer in the period from June 2006 to May 2007. The first of the locomotives now ordered under the option is due to be handed over in April 2009. Locomotive production will take place in Siemens' Munich-Allach plant in Germany and in the plant operated by the Technical Service of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in Linz. The bogies will come from the Mobility plant in Graz, Austria.