CRRC and Hungary: A New Locomotive and Railcar Plant for Europe

The Chinese company CRRC ZELC, in collaboration with its Hungarian partner Acemil, is preparing to establish a new European manufacturing hub, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The rolling stock plant, which will be built in Hungary, is aimed at both the domestic market and exports to European countries.

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The plant is expected to begin operations next year and will focus on producing mainline and shunting locomotives, electric trains, and passenger railcars.

One of the primary goals of the project is to increase the added value of products manufactured within the European Union.

According to Dávid Kovács, a board member of Acemil, more than 51% of the components will be produced in the EU.

This will help Hungary regain its position as a major manufacturer of railway rolling stock in Europe.

Kovács noted that demand for new rail equipment is expected to grow in the coming years.

The new plant will not only produce passenger rolling stock. Acemil has signed an agreement with another CRRC subsidiary, CRRC Shandong, to localize the production of freight railcars.

For this, a separate plant will be built, capable of meeting the European market’s demand for new freight railcars.

The demand for freight railcars is also high. The average age of rolling stock in Europe exceeds 40 years, creating the need for large-scale modernization.

The introduction of digital automatic couplers is expected to accelerate the replacement process, especially over the next decade.

Experts estimate that more than 100,000 of the 500,000 railcars currently in operation across Europe will need to be replaced.

Today, European factories can produce only 6,000 to 8,000 new railcars annually, which is insufficient for a comprehensive fleet renewal.

Even with expanded production capacity, this output will still fall short of meeting future needs.

The CRRC and Acemil project represents a significant step towards strengthening Europe’s position in the railway transport market and addressing the increasingly urgent issue of outdated railcars.

Photo: Railway Gazette

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