Locomotive leasing company Mitsui Rail Capital Europe (MRCE) has signed an agreement with Siemens to create an equally-owned locomotive servicing and maintenance joint venture (JV).
The new JV, to be headquartered in the Netherlands, will be named Locomotive Workshop Rotterdam (LWR).
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Both companies agreed to jointly invest in the JV and build a new workshop for locomotives at Rotterdam.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new workshop is expected to be held this year, with opening scheduled for 2019.
Siemens Division Mobility Customer Services CEO Johannes Emmelheinz said: “Siemens and MRCE have enjoyed a close supplier relationship for years. With the founding of the joint venture, we are raising our collaboration to a new level.
“Together, we will not only maintain the MRCE fleet, but also reliably service and guarantee the maximum availability of third-party fleets with our innovative maintenance technologies.
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By GlobalData“With the new facility in the port of Rotterdam, we are expanding our existing international workshop network and can better support customers where they need us.”
The founding of the JV is expected to be completed by the first half of this year, subject to approval from the antitrust authorities.
In another development, Siemens signed a contract with Danish State Railways to supply 26 alternating-current (AC) Vectron locomotives.
The scope of the contract also involves the delivery of an additional 18 units and maintenance services for these locomotives for 10 years.
The maintenance contract can be extended for additional five years.
Scheduled to operate between Denmark and Germany, the deliveries of the Vectron locomotives will begin from the end of 2020.
