According to reports, CRRC plans to establish assembly lines for locomotives and freight cars in the country in partnership with the Hungarian company Acemil, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

CRRC is planning to expand its operations in Hungary
Photo: CRRC

This agreement was signed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hungary.

The collaboration not only involves equipment procurement but also the creation of four sites, including manufacturing facilities, service capacities, R&D centers, and workforce training.

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Acemil, the partner in this agreement, remains relatively unknown. It is a private investment fund, but its ownership structure is undisclosed.

However, the company’s website indicates that it leads a logistics working group comprising representatives from China and Hungary, as well as the freight carrier Rail Cargo Hungaria.

The order of the Bison electric locomotive from CRRC in 2019 was one of the projects of this group.

Currently, CRRC has only one rolling stock production facility in Europe, located in Germany and acquired in 2020.

This deal has drawn attention as the EU tightened controls on procurement and asset deals, impacting CRRC’s participation in the competition to supply passenger trains to Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian market player, Ganz-MaVag, is attempting to acquire the Spanish manufacturer Talgo jointly with a state fund.

However, this proposal faces resistance at the government level in Spain.

These events reflect the dynamics of the railway industry in Europe and the growing interest of Chinese companies in this market.

At the same time, they underscore the significance of geopolitical aspects in shaping partnerships and deals in this sector.

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