GB Railfreight Signs 10-Year Wabtec Deal for AI Wagon Maintenance

GB Railfreight partners with Wabtec for a 10-year deal, deploying KinetiX imaging to transform wagon maintenance, boosting reliability and cutting failures.

February 2, 2026 1:39 pm

🛑 Key Takeaways:

GB Railfreight has awarded Wabtec a 10-year maintenance contract for its fleet of 585 intermodal wagons.
The deal introduces Wabtec’s KinetiX imaging system, a laser-guided technology capturing 20,000 images per second for rapid inspections.
This shifts GBRf’s maintenance strategy to a data-driven “pit stop” model, aiming to increase fleet availability and reduce in-service failures.

PETERBOROUGH, UK – GB Railfreight (GBRf) signed a ten-year maintenance agreement with Wabtec on February 2, 2026, for its entire fleet of 585 FEA intermodal wagons. The contract centers on implementing a high-speed inspection regime at GBRf’s Peterborough Maintenance Centre using advanced imaging technology.

Category	Specification / Detail
Agreement	10-Year Intermodal Wagon Maintenance Contract
Contract Signed	February 2, 2026
Fleet Affected	585 FEA-G double intermodal wagons
Key Technology	Wabtec KinetiX Imaging System (20,000 images/sec)
Key Stakeholders	GB Railfreight (Operator), Wabtec (Maintenance), Porterbrook (Lessor), Greenbrier (Manufacturer)
Location	GBRf Maintenance Centre, Peterborough, UK

Operational & Technical Details

The core of the agreement is Wabtec’s KinetiX system. This laser-guided imaging technology will perform pit stop-style inspections of the wagons. It is capable of capturing 20,000 images per second to build a detailed digital profile of each asset’s condition.

This data enables a proactive maintenance approach. Instead of relying on standard service intervals, work will be scheduled based on the calculated life cycle and real-time health of components. The goal is to pre-empt operational failures and improve asset intelligence. The 585 FEA-G wagons, delivered in August 2023, are used primarily for transporting containers and supporting construction material logistics.

Market Impact Analysis

This contract solidifies GBRf’s move towards predictive maintenance, a critical step for maximizing fleet availability in the competitive UK logistics market. By investing in data-driven maintenance, GBRf aims to offer higher reliability to its customers, reducing the risk of costly in-service failures and network delays. For Wabtec, the deal serves as a key UK deployment of its KinetiX technology, positioning the company as a provider of digital maintenance solutions beyond traditional MRO services. The agreement reflects a wider industry trend of leveraging technology to improve the efficiency and resilience of existing rail assets.

FAQ: Quick Facts

What is the main value of this contract?

It transitions GBRf’s maintenance for 585 wagons to a proactive, data-driven model using Wabtec’s KinetiX imaging, aiming to reduce failures and improve fleet reliability.

What is the duration of the agreement?

The contract has a duration of ten years, running from February 2026 to approximately February 2036.