Siemens Mobility signs framework agreements with CARGOUNIT for the delivery of up to 100 locomotives from Vectron platfrom

Siemens Mobility and CARGOUNIT, the largest independent locomotive leasing company in Poland, have signed a framework contract for the purchase of 90 Vectron MS locomotives, where 30 have already been called-off. Additionally, CARGOUNIT has ordered 10 Smartrons. First deliveries of locomotives are planned for 2025.

Most advanced Vectron and Smartron multi-system locomotives are the key to carrying out a wide variety of freight tasks throughout Europe and to growing strongly also in the intermodal segment. Vectrons are modern universal locomotives on the European market, with a modular design that allows easy adaptation to the requirements of use and specifics of driving in different countries. The primary consideration in their design was efficiency and cost-effectiveness in performing traction tasks in both domestic and international passenger and freight traffic in Europe.

History of cooperation – from 1 to 100

The cooperation between Siemens Mobility and CARGOUNIT began in 2018 with the purchase of a single Vectron MS locomotive, presented the same year at the Railway Institute’s test track in Zmigrod. The company then purchased an additional five vehicles in 2019 with funding from the Center for EU Transport Projects, and two years later, at TRAKO 2021, it signed a contract for the delivery, along with maintenance, of another 30 Vectrons to run services in Central and Western Europe.

Meanwhile, between 2021 and 2023. CARGOUNIT has also been developing its presence in the southern markets – in Romania with dedicated Smartron locomotives made by Siemens Mobility, as well as expanding its portfolio of Vectron customers to include Bahnoperator, DB Cargo Polska, Lotos Kolej, Freightliner PL, Ost-West Logistics in the Polish market CD Cargo and LokoTrain in the Czech market, and at the end of last December also Helrom in the German market.

CARGOUNIT’s Vectron locomotives have been operating both in freight transport, but also with passengers including the BWE trains (Warsaw-Berlin Express), operated jointly by PKP Intercity and DB Fernverkehr.

New chapter from 2025

At the end of February 2024, the companies signed another framework agreement in Wroclaw to develop cooperation in the years from 2025. The order covers the purchase of 30 Vectron and 10 Smartron locomotives with an additional option to purchase up to 60 Siemens Mobility vehicles. Cargounit is the largest Siemens locomotive customer in Poland. With the new order, the company has a total of 66 Vectrons and 18 Smartrons in its fleet, and the number of Siemens locomotives could increase to nearly 150 vehicles.

– With our Vectron locomotives, Cargounit is paving the way for sustainable, efficient, and cross boarder rail transport across Europe. The new orders reaffirm Cargounit’s trust in one of the most modern and at the same time most environmentally friendly universal locomotive available on the European market today – said Albrecht Neumann, CEO Rolling Stock Siemens Mobility GmbH.

– Today is a momentous day in the continued co-operation between CARGOUNIT and Siemens Mobility, and on behalf of the CARGOUNIT Supervisory Board I would wish to congratulate the two companies’ respective teams on the conclusion of this landmark transaction. CARGOUNIT was the Three Seas Initiative investment Fund’s first investment, with the fund’s ownership interest commencing in 2020. The company has gone from strength to strength over the last four years with significant enhancements having been made to the fleet in terms of operational and environmental efficiency, and the development of an ever-expanding geographical footprint across the Three Seas countries and beyond. We look forward to the delivery of these locomotives over the coming years, and the continued successful growth of the CARGOUNIT business – said Cameron Cook, Chairman of CARGOUNIT Sp. z o.o.

– The signing of the framework agreement with Siemens Mobility represents another milestone for CARGOUNIT in the implementation of our strategy to modernize our fleet of locomotives for freight and passenger traffic in Poland and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe. Over the past 3 years, we have significantly exceeded our original plans to purchase and deliver modern locomotives to customers in Poland, including multi-system locomotives. We expect to continue the trend of replacing rolling stock with modern rolling stock in the coming years, which is perfectly in line with the implementation of sustainable development plans of both CARGOUNIT and rail carriers looking for reliable low-emission rolling stock. We are confident that CARGOUNIT will be a beneficiary of the trend of replacing older rolling stock with modern rolling stock in Central and Eastern European countries – said Łukasz Boroń, CEO of CARGOUNIT Sp. z o.o.

– CARGOUNIT is currently the largest Polish customer of Siemens electric locomotives.
And it is just ordering up to 100 additional vehicles to be delivered starting in 2025, signing the largest contract on the Polish market for the purchase of multi-system locomotives. This is a huge investment in sustainable and energy-efficient rail transportation. And also proof of confidence in our vision of responsible business. Our strategy for Poland includes cooperation with strong partners – such as CARGOUNIT. The implementation of large-scale business activities creates additional value for our country, while supporting the development of the European railroad market and building a competitive advantage – said Maciej Zieliński, CEO of Siemens Sp. z o.o. and Siemens Mobility Sp. z o.o.

The ordered Vectron MS locomotives have a power output of 6.4 MW in AC and 6.0 MW in DC, and will be equipped with an ETCS system that complies with current specifications (Baseline 3). The new Vectron MS locomotives for CARGOUNIT will be intended for operation in Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Bulgaria and Belgium, among others. Smartron locomotives, on the other hand, will be able to operate in Germany, Bulgaria or Romania.

To date, Siemens Mobility has sold more than 2,400 locomotives from the Vectron family to 97 customers in 16 countries. Vectron locomotives are approved for operation in 20 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland).

Polish railway operators and carriers have already purchased nearly 150 modern Siemens electric locomotives (Husarz, Vectrons, Smartrons). They are used on a daily basis by CARGOUNIT, PKP Intercity, PKP Cargo, DB Cargo Poland, Lotos Kolej and Laude Smart Intermodal.