– We are very happy about the trust we have received, and the close collaboration we have with Nordic Re-Finance. It gives us a long-term perspective while the business develops, says Patrik Söderholm, Operations Manager at Railcare Lokverkstad.
Nordic Re-Finance is a major player in the Scandinavian market for locomotive rental. The company's strategy is to grow by constantly renewing the locomotive fleet with used locomotives, which are then upgraded and adapted for the country in which they will be used.
Nordic Re-Finance's latest investment is six Traxx locomotives that were purchased from Switzerland and will be used to a large extent in freight traffic. Railcare has been given the task of Nordic-adapting these locomotives for running in Sweden and Norway as well as handling the entire approval process via the EU's Railway Agency, ERA, and their 'one-stop-shop' database. The work is ongoing, and delivery is planned to take place during Q1 2023. The order value amounts to approximately SEK 10 million.
– Railcare has an overall appeal that is quite unique. Since the company has everything from its own workshop to locomotives and train drivers, there is an extremely great understanding of the needs that arise. This is apparent partly through the knowledge they possess, along with the response time to problems that arise, says Arvid Haag, Fleet Manager at Nordic Re-Finance.
In addition to the Traxx locomotives, Railcare will also install the new ETCS train protection system on 22 TMe locomotives, intended for freight traffic and contract work, which are in Nordic Re-Finance's locomotive fleet. The order value of this project amounts to approximately SEK 20 million.
– The installations have already begun and are ongoing with several locomotives per quarter up to and including 2024, says Patrik Söderholm.
ETCS (European Train Control System) is the onboard system that will be required in all locomotives when the Swedish train protection system is upgraded to a common European standard called ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System). Patrik concludes:
– The Swedish locomotive fleet is facing an extensive restructuring. We have already accumulated a lot of experience and look forward to helping more customers with the upgrade.
