Northrail leases four Gravita 10 and four new low-emission DE 18 locomotives to ProTrain for use in Sweden

Northrail, the Hamburg-based leasing provider and manager of rail vehicles, has signed a long-term lease agreement with the Swedish rail transport company ProTrain Trafik AB. As part of the co-operation, four Gravita 10 mid-cab locomotives and four new DE 18 Stage V locomotives equipped with ETCS will be leased to ProTrain. The aim of the partnership is to make rail replacement transport in Sweden more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Hamburg, January 30, 2025 - Northrail GmbH (Northrail) has concluded a long-term lease agreement with the Swedish rail transport company ProTrain Trafik AB (ProTrain). ProTrain will initially lease four Gravita 10 mid-cab locomotives. The first of the four locomotives was handed over on 30 December 2024, with the other three to follow on 1 March 2025.

In addition, ProTrain has leased four modern DE 18 locomotives with environmentally friendly Stage V engines and equipped with ETCS. The energy-efficient mid-cab locomotives are part of a purchase agreement for 10 DE 18 Stage V locomotives from the manufacturer Vossloh Rolling Stock GmbH, which Northrail arranged and structured together with its parent company Rive Private Investment in October 2024. In addition to the locomotives on firm order, the purchase agreement includes an option for further identical locomotives.

“With this collaboration, we are sending a clear signal for the future of rail transport: efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand. Our new DE 18 locomotives with Stage V engines make an important contribution to reducing emissions and emphasise our commitment to climate-friendly mobility,” explains Michael Trentzsch, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Commercial Officer of Northrail AG.

ProTrain is also convinced by the cooperation: “The collaboration with Northrail marks an important turning point on our path to future-oriented and environmentally friendly mobility. The use of the modern DE 18 locomotives will not only optimise our operating processes, but also significantly reduce our ecological footprint, thus making an active contribution to the energy transition in Sweden,” says Karl-Johan Börjeson, Chief Executive Officer of ProTrain.

About ProTrain

ProTrain is a leading Swedish provider of railway services, delivering innovative and flexible solutions tailored to meet its customers' needs. The company holds licenses for railway operations in both Sweden and Norway and acts as a subcontractor for railway transport and shunting operations. In addition, ProTrain provides staffing solutions with train drivers, shunters and supervisors. ProTrain also operates a private train driver school in multiple locations, and offers bespoke training programs for railway companies. The company has approx. 150 employees and has grown by more than 250% over the past five years, while maintaining solid profitability.

Further information on ProTrain is available at: www.protrain.se

Northrail is one of Europe's leading rolling stock leasing companies, asset managers and developers of innovative rolling stock investments. Northrail manages a portfolio of approximately 430 vehicles, including around 250 locomotives and around 180 multiple units and passenger coaches, for freight and passenger transport in Europe, with an investment volume of close to 1.5 billion euros. Northrail's managed fleet includes state-of-the-art electric, dual-mode and hybrid locomotives, battery-powered regional trains, as well as traditional shunting and universal locomotives. Northrail also develops tailor-made leasing services for its clients and organizes the maintenance of leased vehicles based on its ECM I to III licence. Northrail, headquartered in Hamburg (Germany), currently employs around 50 people and is a subsidiary of RIVE Private Investment, an independent European investment firm with offices in Paris, Luxembourg, and Geneva, specializing in transportation assets and energy transition.