Siemens Mobility and Railpool have taken a major step toward strengthening Europe’s rail freight network with plans for a new locomotive maintenance facility in northern Italy. The two companies have signed a preliminary agreement to purchase a 15,000-square-metre plot from Consorzio ZAI within the Verona Interporto logistics hub – Italy’s largest integrated traffic terminal.
With a joint investment of around €20 million, Siemens Mobility and Railpool will develop a state-of-the-art expert centre for locomotive maintenance. Designed as an “open access” depot, the facility will service locomotives from multiple manufacturers, supporting operators across Europe’s key freight corridors.
The new hub will feature five tracks for light maintenance and one track equipped with a wheel lathe, enabling testing of MS and DC locomotives and maintenance across all major European signalling systems. This investment comes as both companies anticipate a significant modal shift toward rail by 2032, when the opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel is expected to double rail capacity across the Alps.
“Together with Railpool, we are strengthening rail freight on the strategic Verona-Brenner corridor,”
said Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility. “This dedicated locomotive hub is equipped with state-of-the-art maintenance technology to give our customers maximum availability and efficiency. It will support the shift of freight from road to rail as the Brenner Base Tunnel opens and becomes an important part of our European depot and service network.”
Torsten Lehnert, CEO of Railpool, added: “With our new maintenance hub in Verona, we are strengthening our service network across Europe’s key logistics corridors. This investment underscores our long-term commitment to delivering reliable, full-service locomotive leasing solutions that support the evolving needs of customers throughout the continent.”
Strategic Role in Europe’s Freight Future
The Verona facility will be engineered to optimise lifecycle performance and system availability, serving as a critical base for light maintenance, routine inspections, and minor adjustments to ensure immediate operational readiness. Siemens Mobility describes the centre as a “Partner Rail Service Centre,” reaffirming its commitment to advancing Italy’s rail infrastructure with high-tech, localised solutions for a more reliable and environmentally friendly transport system.
Expanding the Service Network
The new hub will complement Siemens Mobility’s existing Rail Service Centre in Novara, which has been providing full service for more than 120 locomotives since 2015 on the Rhine-Alpine TEN-T corridor. Globally, Siemens Mobility operates one of the largest depot and service networks in the rail industry, with over 100 service locations in more than 30 countries and approximately 7,000 rail service experts, ensuring up to 100% availability of its customers’ rail systems.
Railpool will bring its experience from six in-house workshops and expand its capabilities through the Verona hub, supported by its Italian team and a warehouse stocked with over 4,500 spare parts.
Collaboration and Growth
This development builds on the companies’ 2024 framework agreement for the delivery of up to 250 locomotives to Railpool, including multisystem Vectron variants capable of operating in up to 16 countries and across various European rail corridors.
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