Siemens Mobility, a leading rail transport solutions provider, has partnered with Railpool, a rail vehicle rental company, to establish a locomotive service hub in Verona, Italy. The hub, which will be located within the Verona Interporto logistics hub, will provide maintenance and testing services for locomotives from various manufacturers. The joint investment of approximately €20m ($23.4m) will create a 15,000m2 facility with five tracks dedicated to light maintenance and one track equipped with a wheel lathe. The hub will support the testing and maintenance of both Multisystem (MS) and Direct Current (DC) locomotives, ensuring compatibility with all major European signalling systems.
The locomotive service hub is strategically located on the Verona-Brenner corridor, which is expected to experience a significant increase in rail transport by 2032 with the opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The tunnel is expected to double rail capacity across the Alps, and the hub will play a crucial role in supporting the shift of freight from road to rail. Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter stated that the hub will provide customers with maximum availability and efficiency, and it will be an important part of their European depot and service network.
The hub will provide services such as routine inspections and minor adjustments to ensure trains are operationally ready. It will also complement Siemens Mobility’s existing service centre in Novara, which has been operational since 2015. Railpool intends to utilize its six in-house workshops and a warehouse with over 4,500 spare parts to enhance its service capabilities through this new development. The partnership between Siemens Mobility and Railpool demonstrates their commitment to delivering reliable and efficient locomotive leasing solutions to customers across Europe.
In addition to this venture, Siemens and Railpool signed a framework agreement in 2024 for delivering up to 250 locomotives to the latter. This includes multisystem Vectron variants that operate across multiple European corridors. The partnership is expected to strengthen rail freight on the strategic Verona-Brenner corridor and support the evolving needs of customers throughout the continent. The locomotive service hub is expected to be an important part of the European rail network, providing efficient and reliable maintenance services to locomotives from various manufacturers.