PKP Cargo has announced that by the end of 2019 a contract will be signed with Polish rolling stock manufacturer, Wagonami Świdnica Sp. z o.o. (owned by Greenbrier Companies) and the Industrial Development Agency (ARD) for the joint production and repair services of PKP Cargo’s freight wagons.
The initial plans include the commissioning of the inactive plant- Gniewczyna Wagon Factory, in Gniewczyna (Podkarpacie, Subcarpathian Voivodeship), where the production of rolling stock ceased several years ago. Other locations may also be taken into consideration which will enable fairly fast start-up of assembly lines. After the selection of the potential plant, the production is expected to take 1.5 year, which could be launched in 2020.
For this project, in April, PKP Cargo and ARP signed a letter of intent, and in June the state-owned rail freight operator signed an agreement with Wagonami Świdnica. The tripartite agreement is expected to be signed after ARD will conclude the ongoing negotiations with Greenbrier on the preparatory work for the possible implementation of the joint venture.
“Signing the letter with the representatives of Wagonów Świdnica is a very important step in this initiative. The company is part of Greenbrier Group, a well-known rolling stock manufacturer, which provide access to modern know-how for the future factory,” Czesław Warsewicz, the president of PKP Cargo said. He explained that the decision on the joint venture between PKP Cargo, Greenbrier and ARP was made after comprehensive market analysis were carried out. The report shows that the demand on freight wagons is increasing not only in Poland, but also at European level. “Therefore, this investment has good business prospects,” Warsewicz said.
PKP Cargo says that the management of Greenbrier is convinced that through this joint venture, the Wagonami Świdnica and Greenbrier wagons can also significantly contribute to the improvement and renewal PKP Cargo’s fleet.
Wagony Świdnica, located in the south-west of Poland, based on long-standing experience in developing, producing and servicing of all kinds of rail-freight wagons and innovative bogies. In 1998 Wagony Świdnica was acquired by the Greenbrier Companies. In 2011-2012 Wagony Świdnica acquired ZNTK Oława and ZTK Siarkopol Polish repair shops. During this period, Greenbrier has invested in Wagony Świdnica, which currently has 16,000 employees and produces high quality wagons.
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