MRS Logística follows 2024 Wabtec order with US$254M fleet deal
MRS Logística has signed an approximately US$254 million (R$1.3 billion) Wabtec deal for locomotives, parts and maintenance, with investment phased through 2032, following its 2024 order for 30 Wabtec locomotives.
Wabtec announced the agreement on September 23, 2026. The Brazilian freight rail operator will invest in stages. The amount covers the whole package of new locomotives, spare parts and specialist maintenance services. Neither the Wabtec announcement nor the MRS statement on the investment gives the number of locomotives or splits the value between equipment and services.
The package includes Evolution Series locomotives, among them the ES44ACi model. Wabtec says their engines and digital systems are designed to lower fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions compared with earlier generations.
How the deal compares with the 2024 order
In February 2024, MRS agreed to buy 30 Evolution Series locomotives of the ES44ACi model from Wabtec for about R$500 million. First deliveries were planned for that year. That announcement described a purchase of locomotives only. The new agreement also includes parts and maintenance, with the investment phased through 2032. The two amounts therefore do not compare locomotive prices like for like.
At the time, MRS said the ES44ACi cut emissions by about 5% compared with its predecessor, the AC4400, and extended maintenance intervals by about 28%. The model’s 12-cylinder engine produces 4,500 horsepower, according to MRS.
| Announced | Supplier | Scope | Value | Delivery or investment period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | Wabtec | 30 Evolution Series locomotives, ES44ACi model | About R$500 million | First deliveries planned for 2024 |
| March 2024 | Greenbrier Maxion | 560 gondola wagons for mining traffic | Not disclosed separately | Deliveries by August 2024 |
| September 2026 | Wabtec | Evolution Series locomotives including the ES44ACi, spare parts and maintenance services | About R$1.3 billion (US$254 million) | In phases through 2032 |
The table lists purchases that MRS described in its own announcements and is not a complete record of its rolling stock spending. The 2026 value covers parts and maintenance as well as locomotives, so it cannot be compared directly with the 2024 locomotive price. MRS said its rolling stock purchases in January and February 2024 totalled about R$1 billion, including the 30 locomotives.
Sources: MRS, February 2024, MRS, March 2024, Wabtec, September 2026.
Concession obligations to 2056
The company links the fleet renewal to commitments it made when it renewed its concession early. In July 2022 the company extended its concession for the Southeast Regional Network (Malha Regional Sudeste) for another 30 years, to 2056. The investment plan agreed with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the regulator ANTT includes buying locomotives, wagons and equipment. MRS expects the renewal to double its general cargo volumes and increase container traffic sevenfold.
Chief executive Guilherme Segalla de Mello said the agreements speed up the company’s fleet renewal plan and will allow it to “increase asset availability, reduce the environmental impact of freight transportation and meet the growing demands of the Brazilian economy”.
The network the new locomotives will serve
MRS operates a 1,643-km rail network in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, a region the company says generates about half of Brazil’s GDP. The network connects mining and farming regions with industrial centres and the largest ports in south-eastern Brazil. It carries iron ore, coal, coke, bauxite, cement, steel products, containers and agricultural goods. MRS says about 20% of Brazil’s exports and around a third of the country’s rail freight move on its tracks.
Neither company has published a year-by-year delivery schedule. MRS will make the investment in phases through 2032.
