Liebherr has been developing railroad excavators since 1967 and, as an OEM manufacturer, is the world market leader in this field. At IAF 2025, Liebherr is presenting the new RE 25 M Litronic railroad excavator, the first model in the 24.4 to 25.7 tonne operating mass range. The powerful machine is equipped with the proven engine of the A 922 Rail railroad excavator and impresses with an engine power of 120 kW. The high-quality and unique hydraulic system has also been adopted.
In addition to the proven components, the new RE 25 M Litronic has a number of innovations that make the machine the best solution in its weight class. The small tail swing radius of 1.57 metres stands out, ensuring that the rear of the machine always remains within the clearance profile when swinging. This increases safety and also enables Liebherr to open up new markets with this requirement, such as France. The machine is equipped with a completely new, comfortable double cab, including the intuitive INTUSI operating concept. Furthermore, a number of new assistance systems are installed in the RE 25 M, such as the 2D machine control system integrated into INTUSI or the person detection system, which are available for the first time in the new railroad excavator.
RE 25 M: First railroad excavator with innovative undercarriage concept
Liebherr is presenting a new undercarriage in the RE 25 M, which will be standard in all future rail machines. In particular, the new rail guide system (patent pending) sets the course for the future: thanks to the hydrostatic rail wheel drive, the railroad excavator can travel in the excavated state (category 9A). On the other hand, the RE 25 M can lower itself onto the tracks with the road tyres and thus generate the necessary traction with the tyres on the rail (category 9C). This means that the RE 25 M can not only work and drive in one position, but also – where permitted – work in the lowered position and drive in the raised position, thus avoiding damage to the rail infrastructure. This is made possible by a completely redesigned storing and oscillating system for the rail guide system. What's more, the oscillating axle is adjustable: when the RE 25 M is in use, the oscillating axle locks to ensure a stable footing. When driving, the oscillating axle is open, thus ensuring the best traction. Thanks to the newly developed rail axle, the machine has a drawbar pull of 50 kN and, with the appropriate country-specific approval, can reach travel speeds of up to 40 km/h – in an emergency, the RE 25 M can even be towed at up to 60 km/h. Optionally, the undercarriage of the RE 25 M can be equipped with the innovative, centrally mounted two-point stabiliser to achieve higher loads. At the same time, however, the undercarriage remains compact, which means that visibility in the vicinity of the machine is not restricted and work can be carried out well at close range. Thanks to the kinematics (patent pending), the innovative stabilisers remain very close to the machine even when extended, and they hardly widen it at all. This also makes it possible to use the stabilisers in confined construction site conditions.
Uppercarriage impresses with maintenance-friendly machine design
In addition to the small tail swing radius, new designs on the RE 25 M's uppercarriage ensure that the machine is very easy to maintain. Despite the short tail swing radius, access to the uppercarriage is possible just behind the cab. The design of the counterweight also contributes to the machine's maintenance-friendly design. The maintenance flaps are integrated into the counterweight and ensure optimal access to the hydraulic pump during maintenance. The counterweight can be easily removed for major maintenance. The new exhaust gas treatment system is located above the engine and can be folded up for maintenance.
New double cabin increases comfort
The new storing of the double cabin with the pilot seat on the upper carriage increases the comfort for the driver. The RE 25 M offers a comfort seat as standard and has a completely new door system. This enables the doors to open towards each other and swing around the B-pillar. Thanks to the INTUSI adaptive operating concept, the previous control panel on the steering column below the steering wheel is no longer needed. In the future, this will be integrated into the INTUSI display, so there will be no restrictions in the field of vision.
Proven components: hydraulic system and engine ensure maximum performance
With both the hydraulic system and the engine, customers can rely on proven Liebherr quality in the new railroad excavator. The innovative hydraulics concept of the new machine includes a Liebherr double variable displacement pump with independent regulating circuits and a flow rate of 2 x 220 l/min. This means that powerful hydraulic attachments can be operated independently of the working and driving movements of the Liebherr rail-road excavator. In addition, a second high pressure circuit offers the option of directly controlling three hydraulic functions for special attachments. The Liebherr RE 25 M railroad excavator impresses with its performance: with its 120 kW / 163 HP engine, the machine achieves a high working speed with the usual fluid work movements.
Liebherr Solidlink 33-9 quick coupling system specially designed for railroad excavators
The wide range of Liebherr attachments makes the RE 25 M highly versatile. In particular, the new Solidlink 33-9 model has been specially developed by Liebherr for railroad excavators and adds further couplings to the fully automatic Solidlink quick coupling system, with all its advantages. The expansion of the couplings to include a second high pressure circuit enables the use of hydraulic attachments such as packing tools in rail construction, Liebherr parallel grippers or Liebherr stick extensions. The Solidlink fully hydraulic quick coupling system enables the attachments to be changed quickly and safely from the operator's cab.
Railroad excavator appears under a new name
With its new product designation, the new RE 25 M Litronic emphasises the importance of the rail machines for the Liebherr site in Kirchdorf. With the new name, Liebherr is highlighting the railroad excavator as a separate product line, distinguishing it from the wheeled excavators and thus giving it greater emphasis. In principle, RE stands for ‘rail excavator’, the number indicates the operating mass and ‘M’ stands for the wheeled undercarriage. All future railroad excavators will follow this designation. The A 922 Rail and A 924 Rail already available on the market will continue to operate under their familiar names.
