Mota-Engil orders 10 Liebherr railroad excavators for a major project in West Africa

The design and construction of the Kano-Maradi railway line between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger is the largest contract in Mota-Engil's history, with a contract value of around USD 1.8 billion. The approximately 284-km-long line will connect the Nigerian city of Kano with Maradi in the south of Niger.

Mota-Engil has ordered ten A 922 Rail Lictronic machines from Liebherr for this major railway infrastructure project, during which the excavators will be used to create the track infrastructure. This will include, for example, grading work and laying rails, sleepers and ballast as well as points. After completion of the railway line network, the machines will be used for track maintenance work.

Powerful Liebherr railroad excavators for both road and rail applications

In previous years, the company had already acquired seven Liebherr railroad excavators of the same type for projects on the Iberian Peninsula. Its positive experiences with the type, not least due to its excellent performance, was a key factor in the customer's decision to purchase more of these machines.

The A 922 Rail Litronic is based on a sophisticated design concept – as a railroad excavator it can be used both on roads and on railway tracks. A rail guide system, which is attached to both sides of the undercarriage, brings the tyres to rail level during the changeover to rail. The inner wheels of the twin tyres are then used for the rail-based travel drive. Thanks to a 120 kW / 163 hp construction machine engine and an optimally tuned hydraulic system, the excavator achieves high working speeds with the usual fluid attachment movements. Its innovative hydraulic concept includes a Liebherr variable-displacement double pump with an independent regulating circuit. Powerful, hydraulic attachments can thus be operated independently of the machine's working and driving movements.

The Mota-Engil machine package also includes numerous Liebherr attachments such as swivelling ditch-cleaning-buckets, clamshell buckets and backhoe buckets. To ensure quick and safe replacements of both mechanical and hydraulic attachments, the customer's machines are also equipped with the fully automatic quick-coupling system Solidlink.