KfW IPEX-Bank has provided the German company Railpool with a EUR 100 million promotional loan for the purchase of new locomotives under the KfW 269 program, which is dedicated to investments in sustainable mobility. The financing is designed to support sustainable mobility and the shift of freight transport to rail, and the locomotives purchased with this loan will be used primarily in Germany.

The new CAPEX facility, worth EUR 100 million, will be integrated into Railpool’s existing financing platform. Within this structure, KfW IPEX-Bank also acts as the facility agent, a role it already fulfills in the company’s existing financing arrangements.

According to the announcement, the financing is provided through the KfW 269 program, dedicated to investments in sustainable mobility. KfW IPEX-Bank is the sole lender of the new facility and makes it available to Railpool as an intermediary bank for the KfW promotional loan.

“It is only natural for us to make the full range of available financing instruments available to our clients. That is why we are particularly pleased to be able to support our valued client, Railpool, through this KfW promotional loan,” said Aida Welker, a member of the management board at KfW IPEX-Bank.

For his part, Ingo Wurzer, CFO of Railpool, said: “We are very pleased to be strengthening our growth through this new collaboration and by expanding our long-standing partnership with KfW IPEX-Bank.”

Railpool announced that the locomotives purchased through this loan will be used primarily in the German market. Through this financing, KfW IPEX-Bank says it is supporting the shift of freight transport from road to rail and thus contributing to the decarbonization of the transport sector.

The message is also significant for the European rail leasing market, given that demand for electric and hybrid locomotives remains high, and leasing companies are playing an increasingly important role in the renewal of traction fleets.

Founded in 2008 in Munich, Railpool is one of Europe’s leading rail rolling stock leasing companies, currently operating in 19 European countries.

The company has a fleet of over 600 electric and hybrid locomotives, as well as 148 passenger vehicles, with total investments amounting to EUR 2.7 billion EUR. According to data provided by the company, the Railpool fleet covers 85 million kilometers annually.

Railpool also has six in-house workshops, a European network of partner workshops, and an internal inventory of over 4,500 types of spare parts and components.