For the realization of the "Bahn 2000" concept, the SBB procured 24 locomotives of this series. An additional series of 75 locomotives was built to manage the roll-on/roll-off corridor that was to be established through Switzerland starting January 1, 1994. These locomotives were later assigned to passenger transport with the divisional restructuring. To this day, they are indispensable for the traction of the dense Swiss scheduled services.