Located in the rural town of Grossräschen in the German state of Brandenburg, the 1,700 m2 workshop will have the capacity to handle around 2,000 freight wagons each year, making the company more independent of external repair shop services.

At the same time, VTG said that it is a core element in the realisation of its sustainability strategy. “Going forward, some 40 new jobs should be created in Grossräschen, with the company looking for people such as fitters, welders, warehouse operatives, quality assurance staff and marshalling staff,” stated VTG. The workshop is due to go into service in early 2024.

At a groundbreaking ceremony today (29 June 2023), Sven Wellbrock, chief operating officer Europe and chief safety officer at VTG, welcomed Guido Beermann, minister of infrastructure and regional planning for the State of Brandenburg, along with members of the German Bundestag and the Brandenburg Landtag (State Parliament).

“We are pleased to be ramping up our investment in Brandenburg,” said Wellbrock. “In doing so, we are significantly enlarging our footprint at an attractive location in the heart of Europe.

“For us, the workshop in Grossräschen will in future be a central maintenance and repair facility. We will thus be able to guarantee even greater wagon availability for customers and play our part in further developing the climate-efficient rail freight sector of tomorrow.”

VTG has had a presence at the Grossräschen facility since 2020, where it currently processes wagons that are returned when their leases expire.

“Building the new maintenance workshop in Grossräschen is a tremendously positive signal for Brandenburg and the rural spaces in our state,” said Beermann. “Freight transport volumes will continue to increase in the future, so we in Brandenburg want to put more freight traffic on the rails.

“By investing in this sustainable and climate-friendly transport system here in Grossräschen, VTG is making an important contribution to the development of green rail freight in Europe. That is good for the climate and will advance the structural transition in the region.”

The project involves building a new workshop with adjacent office and warehouse space on the 65,000 m2 site, which boasts around 10 km of sidings. In the future, a modern, app-based shop floor management system will be introduced for the workshop’s administrative processes. The aim of this system is to optimise the value chain by adopting more accurate, just-in-time delivery to the workshop, thereby boosting productivity in a smaller space.

“Only in this way can investments in the future of rail freight pay for themselves,” stated VTG. “Work in Grossräschen will focus on intermodal wagons, covering everything from the repair of typical damage to major revisions. The local team will also be able to inspect tank cars and provide mobile maintenance service.”

The new workshop is central to VTG’s efforts to become climate-neutral by 2040. The entire complex will operate on a carbon-neutral basis. Thermal heat pumps will be installed, and most of the electricity needed will be generated by the workshop’s own photovoltaic installations. Beyond that, only green electricity will be sourced to run the facility, according to VTG. An electric marshalling engine will be deployed to move wagons around the workshop area.