OnTrain is expanding its fleet of locomotives for lease - The first Traxx Universal has been presented on Zmigrod test track

“OnTrain’s objective is to provide customers with locomotives that maintain the highest standards of safety and functionality while ensuring high fleet availability. As a new entrant in the railway rolling stock leasing market, OnTrain relies on proven solutions such as Traxx locomotives to compete effectively with the largest players in the sector. We have already tested four of the five Traxx locomotives ordered in December 2024, which proved their technical quality during trials and confirmed that choosing the Traxx platform was the right decision. We hope that soon our customers will also be able to experience the advantages of Traxx locomotives and appreciate once again how reliable they are as a partner in day-to-day operations,” said Piotr Ignasiak, CEO of OnTrain.

Traxx Universal: performance, interoperability and proven technology

The third-generation multi-system Traxx locomotives are characterized by high operational performance, reliability, energy efficiency, and extended maintenance intervals. Their design allows for hauling heavier loads compared to other locomotives in the same class. They are based on a modular platform used in both passenger and freight transport, for domestic and cross-border operations, and are available in various configurations (AC, DC, multi-system).The locomotives ordered by OnTrain are equipped with the Onvia signalling system (previously known as Atlas) – Alstom’s leading onboard solution for the European Train Control System (ETCS), covering the widest range of countries and subsystems.

“We are very pleased that Traxx Universal locomotives will strengthen the locomotive leasing platform fleet that OnTrain is building to support the dynamic growth of the rail market in Europe. We are proud that a significant part of this order is being produced in Poland, at Alstom’s Wrocław site, which is responsible for manufacturing the locomotive bodyshells. The expertise of the local team, supported by investments in the development of our production facilities, allows us to respond effectively to market demand for modern multi-system locomotives, both in the leasing model and through orders placed for transport companies’ own operational needs. We believe that the cooperation between Alstom and OnTrain contributes to 

to strengthening the role of rail and advancing the development of a sustainable and low-emission Trans-European Transport Network,” said Beata Rusinowicz, Managing Director of Alstom in Poland.

Record contracts delivered by Alstom’s Wrocław site

The locomotives for OnTrain are manufactured at Alstom’s Kassel site in Germany, while the car bodies are produced at the site in Wrocław. The Wrocław site has unique technological capabilities and is a leading manufacturer of locomotives, passenger vehicles, and advanced components such as high-speed train car bodies and bogie frames for various types of rolling stock. To date, more than 2,000 Traxx locomotive bodies in different versions and types (including DC, AC, and multi-system) have been produced in Wrocław, including those equipped with the unique Last Mile system enabling shunting on sidings without overhead power supply.

In recent years, the Wrocław site has been involved in the delivery of ICE 4 long-distance trains for Deutsche Bahn. Under the largest contract in the history of the German railways, more than 1,500 car bodies and bogies were produced in Wrocław. They are now in service on key intercity routes in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. The execution of the Deutsche Bahn contract was made possible, among other factors, by investments of nearly 60 million euro in the Wrocław site. A newly built W5 hall now hosts one of the most advanced paint shops in the world, equipped with painting and blasting robots, as well as a bonding area with controlled temperature and humidity. 

Over the past five years, Alstom has invested an additional 30+ million euro in the further transformation of the site, including the construction of a state-of-the-art aluminium welding line with a robotic welder and what was then Europe’s largest aluminium machining machine, measuring 90 metres in length.

Continuous development at one of the world’s oldest rolling stock factories

Further investments at the Wrocław site include a train interior assembly line, which will be fully developed as part of a contract for German operators – go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia. The contract covers the production of 904 rail cars in Wrocław. The Alstom Wrocław site is responsible for welding, painting, and initial outfitting of all cars, including thermal and acoustic insulation, installation of windows, doors, flooring, ceilings with wiring, passenger information displays in the side walls, loudspeakers, and toilets in end cars.

Alstom’s Wrocław site currently employs more than 1,000 people. It continues the legacy of one of Europe’s oldest rolling stock factories, established in 1833 and, after World War II, operating as Pafawag.

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