DB Cargo UK sells 25 Class 66 locomotives to Romania’s GFR for freight operations

Credit: Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR)

DB Cargo UK has agreed a multi-million-pound deal to sell 25 Class 66 freight locomotives to Romania’s largest private rail freight operator, Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR), marking a significant cross-border rolling stock transaction in the European freight sector.

The first locomotive, Class 66 number 66014, is scheduled to leave DB Cargo UK’s traction maintenance depot at Toton in Nottinghamshire at the end of January 2026. All 25 locomotives are expected to be delivered to GFR by mid-2028. Prior to export to mainland Europe, each unit will be fully reinstated to current UK operational standards and repainted in blue.

DB Cargo UK said the sale forms part of its ongoing fleet optimisation strategy. The company confirmed that the locomotives are surplus to its long-term operational requirements and that sufficient traction capacity will remain in place to support anticipated freight growth in the coming years.

Wayne Miller, DB Cargo UK’s Engineering Director, highlighted Toton’s role as a centre of excellence for heavy freight maintenance and underlined the importance of strengthening partnerships across the European rail freight market.

For GFR, the acquisition represents a strategic investment in modern, high-performance diesel traction. The Class 66 locomotives will progressively replace the operator’s ageing LDE 2100 fleet, which has become increasingly costly to maintain due to age and spare-parts availability.

GFR, part of the GRAMPET Group, operates across 10 European countries and manages a fleet of more than 350 locomotives and 15,000 wagons. According to the company, the superior power output, reliability and availability of the Class 66 fleet will allow the withdrawal of a larger number of older locomotives than the number being acquired.

The transaction strengthens freight rail connectivity between the UK and continental Europe while extending the operational life of proven Class 66 locomotives in a new market.