On 11.09.2024, Railpool Group officially opened its new locomotive workshop in Hamburg-Billbrook with Dr. Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Railpool Lokservice, part of the Railpool Group, operates the workshop.
The leasing company has invested over 20 million euros in this significant project to strengthen Hamburg’s rail freight hub. Railpool Lokservice is currently the only private company in the Hamburg metropolitan area that offers and carries out maintenance work on electric locomotives.
Torsten Lehnert, CEO of Railpool : “With the new built structure, we are underlining our willingness to invest in the maintenance of locomotives and thus further strengthening the reliability of our full-service rental business. By expanding our maintenance capacities, especially for heavy maintenance, we can ensure the quality of our vehicles even better. As the largest rail vehicle rental company in Germany, we are very proud to open the workshop doors for full operation today.”
The expansion will create up to 40 new jobs. At the same time, Railpool Lokservice is taking responsibility for the qualification of young talent and has been an apprenticeship training company since the beginning of September. With perfected workshop processes, spacious workshop halls, extensive storage areas, state-of-the-art work equipment and future-proof office and training areas, the aim is to set new standards for quality and efficiency.
Up to seven locomotives can be worked on simultaneously. The wide range of services includes operational maintenance work and overhauls. At the heart of the new site is the reprofiling facility.
The new building, with a floor space of around 4,000m2, was constructed energy-efficient to achieve the highest possible sustainability level: the building complex is connected to the city’s district heating network, and the entire roof area is covered in greenery. A photovoltaic system with an output of over 60kW will supply the workshop with self-sufficient electricity on a seasonal basis. Charging points for the company’s electric vehicles are also planned.
After a record-breaking construction time of just nine months, a section of the hall for locomotive overhauls was partially put into operation in April 2024. The total construction time until the opening for full operation was just 14 months.
The workshop site’s total area is 15,000m2. The complete electrification of the track section up to the workshop hall is currently being planned. This will complete the sustainability efforts as part of the new construction project and result in independence from diesel shunting locomotives.
The municipal funding program “Hamburg Green Roof Funding” of the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank (IFB Hamburg) also made the project possible. A funding commitment from the “Companies for Resource Protection” program for electrifying the section of the workshop hall has been received.
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