Romanian railway group Grampet will start producing a new railway engine in Craiova, in October this year, and in November it will begin to assembly a new passenger train, in its wagon factory in Roman, according to the group’s representatives.

Local firms Reloc and Electroputere VFU Craiova, which are part of Grampet group, will start producing an engine for freight trains. The group invested EUR 1.5 million in design, tests and certification for the new engine, which is produced in cooperation with American group Caterpillar, which delivers the actual engines for the locomotive.

The locomotive, which is called Terra Nova, is powered by two 630 HP diesel engines and costs a little over EUR 1 million. The group presented it in an international railway fair in Berlin which took place on September 23-26, according to Mediafax.

The group can produce three such locomotives each month and already has 12 engines ordered by European railway freight carriers.

Electroputere VFU Craiova also plans to launch production of two other locomotives: a diesel-electric one, which is made also in partnership with Caterpillar, and an electric bi-system engine which recovers energy during its functioning, according to Grampet representatives. The total investments for these projects are EUR 10 million.

Grampet also plans to start assembling a passenger train in its factory in Pascani. The company has invested EUR 36 million in this project.

Grampet had EUR 230 million turnover last year. Grampet also owns Romania’s largest private railway freight carrier GFR. The group’s owner, Gruia Stoica, was arrested and indicted for corruption at the beginning of this year.

editor@romania-insider.com