Prihláste sa na odber noviniek
Railway company ZSSK CARGO founded a new subsidiary Depo Services, a.s. at the beginning of 2023. With this step, ZSSK CARGO can focus on its main business – freight transportation by rail. The newly established maintenance and repair company will focus on effectively providing technical repairs and maintenance for ZSSK CARGO and other players on the market. Although this approach is new to Slovakia, it is a common practice in Europe.
Austria
The rolling stock of the Austrian state railways is repaired and maintained by the subsidiary ÖBB - Technische Services-GmbH (ÖBB-TS). It is part of the ÖBB Group and is 75% owned by the passenger transport company ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG, and 25% by the freight carrier Rail Cargo Austria AG. The company employs about 4,000 people and has 22 locations in Austria and three abroad. Annually, 22,500 locomotives and wagons pass through its operations, and it has orders from 230 customers from 15 European countries.
Poland
The 100% subsidiary PKP CargoTabor provides maintenance and repairs for the Polish freight rail carrier PKP Cargo. In 15 workshops across Poland, it provides maintenance and repair services. In 2013, three different companies were created, focusing on the repair and maintenance of wagons, locomotives and electric locomotives and wheel sets. They merged into one company, PKP CARGOTABOR Sp. z o. o., in July 2014.
Hungary
In Hungary, a strategic investor, Rail Cargo Group, joined the former state carrier and has been its follower since 2008. It operates under the name Rail Cargo Hungaria. It repairs its wagons in a separate company, Technical Services Hungaria Járműjavító Kft. (TS Hungaria). The capacities of the Austrian parent company or workshops jointly owned by MÁV-START and ÖBB-TS are used for locomotive maintenance: TS-MÁV Gépészet Services Kft.
France
The French state carrier is currently undergoing restructuring, the result of which should be the creation of a new freight company, so far named New Fret, and a new separate company for the maintenance and repair of rolling stock, New Maintenance. A minority shareholder should enter both.
Italy
In Italy, within the FS Italiane Group and its cargo division Polo Mercitalia, there is also a separate company focused on maintenance - Mercitalia Maintenance. Mercitalia Rail, as a freight rail carrier, and Lucchini RS, a company specialised in technical maintenance, are represented in it.
Germany
At DB Cargo AG, the maintenance division is responsible for maintenance, and it is not a separate company. It has 26 workshops and 58 mobile teams that provide maintenance and repairs to both locomotives and wagons throughout Germany. As the company has a strong presence across Europe, it is assisted with repairs and maintenance by 11 European technical centres: three each in Poland and Great Britain, two in Spain, and one each in Romania, Bulgaria and France.
Switzerland, Sweden
SBB Cargo provides maintenance services in its own workshops at four locations throughout Switzerland: Muttenz, Brig, Dietikon and Chiasso. The same is the case with the Swedish state carrier, Green Cargo, which also repairs its rolling stock in the company's workshops, which are not separate companies.
Czechia
For ČD Cargo, the maintenance and repair department ensures rolling stock maintenance. Repair shops fall under the rolling stock maintenance centres (SOKV) in Ostrava, Ústí nad Labem and České Budějovice. These sections are not separate companies. The parent company České Dráhy considered establishing an independent subsidiary company ČD Technik for the repair of rolling stock for passenger transport, but in May 2023, it withdrew from this intention.
