Siemens and Railpool to open advanced locomotive maintenance hub in Verona

Siemens Mobility and Railpool will build a new state-of-the-art locomotive maintenance hub in Verona, after signing a preliminary deal to acquire a 15,000m² plot within the Verona Interporto logistics complex – Italy’s largest integrated traffic terminal.

The partners plan to invest around €20 million in the “open access” depot, expanding maintenance capacity for multiple locomotive types and preparing the corridor for rising demand expected by 2032. With the Brenner Base Tunnel expected to open later this decade and double Alpine rail capacity, both companies believe the development will hasten the broader modal shift to rail freight.

“Together with Railpool, we are strengthening rail freight on the strategic Verona-Brenner corridor,” said Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility. “This dedicated locomotive hub is equipped with state-of-the-art maintenance technology to give our customers maximum availability and efficiency. It will support the shift of freight from road to rail as the Brenner Base Tunnel opens and become an important part of our European depot and service network.”

Supporting evolving industry needs

The new facility will include five tracks for light maintenance and one wheel-lathe track, enabling testing of multisystem and DC locomotives and supporting all major European signalling systems. Designed to optimise lifecycle performance, it will handle routine inspections, adjustments and rapid-turnaround maintenance to maximise fleet uptime for operators moving freight through one of Europe’s busiest corridors.

Torsten Lehnert, CEO of Railpool, said: “With our new maintenance hub in Verona, we are strengthening our service network across Europe’s key logistics corridors. This investment underscores our long-term commitment to delivering reliable, full-service locomotive leasing solutions that support the evolving needs of customers throughout the continent.”

The Verona project also extends Siemens Mobility’s Italian footprint. It will complement the company’s Novara Rail Service Center, which since 2015 has delivered full service for more than 120 locomotives on the Rhine–Alpine TEN-T route. Siemens operates one of the world’s largest rail service networks, with more than 100 locations in over 30 countries and around 7,000 specialists.

Railpool, which runs six in-house workshops and a warehouse holding over 4,500 spare parts, will integrate the new hub into its European maintenance operations. The collaboration follows a 2024 framework agreement for the delivery of up to 250 Siemens locomotives, including multisystem Vectron variants able to operate in up to 16 countries and across various European rail corridors.