The 2ТЭ116 (2TE116) is a two-section diesel-electric locomotive built between 1971 and 2016. Unlike the earlier 2ТЭ10, it is being powered by more modern V16 four-stroke diesel engines and not by two-stroke opposed-piston engines. With a top speed of 100 km/h, they were mainly used for freight service. But there were also passenger services, sometimes with one section of the locomotive on each end of the train, creating a sandwich configuration. Later, passenger services were taken over by the ТЭП70.

From 2007, all locomotives built were of the variant 2ТЭ116У (2TE116U) and its sub variants like the 2ТЭ116УМ (2TE116UM). What these have in common was that the output of the engines had been increased to 3,600 hp. 37 were even rebuilt with the General Electric GEVO-12. Other prototypes were less successful, like a gas-powered variant with a central section carrying the cryogenic gas tank or a mixed-traffic variant with a top speed of 120 km/h.