Siemens Mobility & Railpool Invest €20M in Verona Locomotive Hub

Siemens Mobility and Railpool Forge Strategic Partnership to Establish State-of-the-Art Locomotive Maintenance Center in Verona. This significant €20 million investment will create an open-access service hub within Italy’s largest logistics terminal, designed to meet the escalating demands of European rail freight traffic, particularly in anticipation of the Brenner Tunnel’s 2032 expansion.

Siemens Mobility and Railpool have announced a pivotal agreement to co-develop a cutting-edge locomotive maintenance center in Verona, Italy. This strategic initiative, driven by a preliminary deal to acquire a 15,000 m² plot within the Interporto Verona logistics hub, is poised to become a cornerstone of European rail infrastructure. Interporto Verona, recognized as Italy’s largest integrated intermodal terminal and a critical node on the vital Verona–Brenner corridor, provides an unparalleled strategic location for this new facility.

Strategic Impact and Future-Proofing

The joint venture signifies a substantial investment of approximately €20 million to construct an open-access Partner Rail Service Center. This facility is engineered to service locomotives from a diverse range of manufacturers, fostering a collaborative and efficient ecosystem within the rail sector. The project is meticulously planned with the significant shifts anticipated by 2032 in mind, when the opening of the Brenner Tunnel is projected to double rail capacity for trans-Alpine crossings. Siemens Mobility and Railpool foresee a consequent surge in rail freight traffic, necessitating modern, strategically located service infrastructure along major European logistics corridors.

Operational Capabilities and Technical Specifications

The Verona depot will feature advanced maintenance capabilities designed to optimize vehicle lifetime performance and ensure maximum operational availability. The facility will include five lines dedicated to light maintenance, alongside one specialized line equipped with a lathe for precise wheel profiling. This setup will enable comprehensive testing and verification of multi-system (MS) and direct current (DC) locomotives, ensuring compatibility with the primary signaling systems deployed across Europe. The center’s services will encompass light maintenance, scheduled periodic inspections, and rapid adjustments, all aimed at keeping locomotives operational with minimal downtime and avoiding significant service interruptions.

Industry Context and Extended Network

This investment reinforces Siemens Mobility’s position as a key strategic partner in the ongoing development of Italy’s rail infrastructure, delivering advanced, localized solutions that promote more efficient and environmentally sustainable transportation. The Verona hub will serve as a crucial complement to Siemens Mobility’s established center in Novara, which has been operational since 2015 on the Rhine-Alps TEN-T corridor. Globally, Siemens Mobility manages over 100 service centers across 30 countries, staffed by approximately 7,000 specialists, guaranteeing up to 100% availability for customer railway systems. Railpool will leverage its extensive experience from its six existing workshops, supported by its dedicated Italian team and a substantial warehouse holding over 4,500 spare parts, to contribute to the success of this new venture.