Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH

What Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH does

Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH is a private rail freight traction operator headquartered in Munich, Germany, specializing in cross-border Alpine transit on the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube corridors. Founded in 2000 following European railway liberalization, the company operates a fleet of more than 72 multi-system electric and diesel-electric locomotives (BR193, BR186, BR187, BR189, BR185, BR139, and Stadler Euro9000) capable of running through Germany, Austria, and Italy without locomotive changes at borders. Its two core products are unaccompanied combined transport (UKV) for containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers, and wagon load transport (WLV) for cargoes including steel, scrap, and new vehicles.

The business model is contract-based B2B traction services billed on a per-train or per-kilometer basis to logistics operators and industrial shippers, delivered via direct sales and through an integrated partner network that includes shareholders DB Cargo (30%), Rail Traction Company (30%), Kombiverkehr (20%), and STR 2 AG (20%). Annual revenue reached €93 million in FY2024 with approximately 266 employees across Germany and Austria, running roughly 100,000 train-kilometers per week and operating 10–20 daily round-trips on Munich-Verona. Supporting revenue streams include third-party locomotive maintenance at the in-house Kufstein workshop (opened 2020) and certified train-driver training at the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt-recognized training center in Munich (opened 2017).

Name

Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH

Legal name

LOKOMOTION Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH

Website

https://lokomotion-rail.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lokomotion is a private Munich-based rail freight traction operator running 72+ multi-system locomotives on the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube corridors, serving logistics operators and industrial shippers across Germany, Austria, and Italy with combined and wagon-load transport services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Freight Transportation Services

NAICS

Line-Haul Railroads (482111)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Intermodal Rail-Truck (COFC/TOFC) (TLADAFAA)

Keywords

• Rail freight traction
• Cross-border rail transport
• Combined transport services
• Locomotive maintenance services
• Train driver training

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rail Traction Services: Core revenue from providing locomotive traction for freight trains on the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube corridors. Services include full trainloads (Ganzzuege) in unaccompanied combined transport (UKV) and wagon load transport (WLV). Revenue is generated through contract-based rail freight transportation services for logistics companies and industrial shippers.
2. Locomotive Maintenance Services: The in-house workshop in Kufstein performs maintenance on the company's own locomotives and serves external railway transport companies. Maintenance services include corrective and preventive maintenance, technical investigations, modifications, and statutory revisions for both electric and diesel locomotives.
3. Training and Certification Services: The training center provides train driver education, continuing education, and retraining services for the company's own staff and external railway companies. The center is officially recognized by the Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt) for both training and examination under the Train Driver Licensing Regulation (TfV).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lokomotion provides rail freight traction services on the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube Alpine corridors using a fleet of 72+ multi-system locomotives, operating full-trainload unaccompanied combined transport (UKV) and wagon load transport (WLV) across Germany, Austria, and Italy. The company sells contract-based freight transportation to logistics operators and industrial shippers, and additionally offers locomotive maintenance (Kufstein workshop) and certified train driver training (Munich center).

Product overview

Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH is a rail freight company specializing in Alpine transit, offering traction services along the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube routes. The company operates a diverse fleet of over 72 locomotives and provides two core transport products: Unaccompanied Combined Transport (UKV) for containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers, and Wagon Load Transport (WLV) for various cargo types including steel and automobiles. Supporting services include the Kufstein-based locomotive workshop for maintenance, the certified training center for locomotive driver education with driving simulator facilities, and the Brenner Service Desk for operational coordination. The company also operates Lokomotion Austria as a wholly-owned subsidiary based in Schwechat. With approximately 266 employees and operations spanning Germany, Austria, Italy, and Southeast Europe, the company handles around 100,000 train kilometers weekly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traktionsleistungen (Traction Services) Contract-based locomotive traction services on the Brenner, Tauern, and Danube routes using a fleet of 72+ multi-system locomotives operating across Germany, Austria, and Italy. Sold to logistics operators and industrial shippers needing cross-border rail freight capacity.
• Unbegleiteter Kombinierter Verkehr (UKV) Unaccompanied Combined Transport: full-train service moving containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers between Northern Italy (via Munich) and locations throughout Germany and Northern/Western Europe.
• Wagenladungsverkehr (WLV) Wagon load transport providing predominantly wagon group solutions between Munich and Italy via the Brenner route with high frequency, also serving railports and siding connections in the Greater Verona area. Transports all cargo types including steel, scrap, and new car vehicles.
• Lokwerkstatt Kufstein (Locomotive Workshop Kufstein) Locomotive maintenance workshop located at Kufstein border station on European freight transport corridor 3 offering the full maintenance spectrum—corrective and preventive maintenance, technical investigations, modifications, legal revisions, and repairs for electric and diesel locomotives—for both the Lokomotion fleet and external railway companies.
• Lokomotion Ausbildungszentrum (Training Center) Eisenbahn-Bundesamt-certified training center providing train driver education, continuing education, and re-training for own staff and external railway companies. Offers a 3-year IHK apprenticeship (Eisenbahner im Betriebsdienst) for school graduates and a 1-year functional training for career changers, including a Zusi-Professional driving simulator.
• Brenner Service Desk Service desk at Brenner station at 1,370 meters altitude, providing coordination between railway partners, infrastructure operators, and customers, supporting smooth transport operations at the central crossing point on the Brenner corridor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160,000 tonnes of CO2 saved annually on the Brenner corridor by shifting 800 trucks per day to rail
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• RAILPOOLmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Locomotive leasing company. RAILPOOL and Lokomotion unveiled a branded ambassador locomotive (BR 186 288) at Bahnpark Augsburg in September 2025 to promote the Tag der Schiene 2026 rail day initiative.
• Alpha TrainsmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Leasing company providing Siemens Vectrons MS A35 locomotives to Lokomotion. These were the first locomotives in the Lokomotion fleet equipped with ETCS for German operations.
• European Loc Pool (ELP)majorTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2022Full-service locomotive leasing agreement for Euro9000 locomotives. ELP provides and maintains the locomotives while Lokomotion operates them in cross-border DACH/NL/B corridors. ELP organized driver training and locomotive livery as part of the service package.
• Stadler Rail ValenciamajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Manufacturer of the Euro9000 locomotive. Lokomotion signed leasing agreement through ELP for two Euro9000 units (Q4 2023 delivery). Stadler conducted joint testing with Lokomotion on the Tauern route for EuroDual and Euro9000 performance validation.
• BLS / CrossrailminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Swiss railway operators handling the Neuss-Munich section of the Neuss-Domegliara combined transport route. Lokomotion provides traction on the Munich-Brenner leg.
• MercitaliaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Italian state railway logistics company handling the Italian leg of the Neuss-Domegliara route beyond Brenner. Partner in multimodal combined transport corridor.
• IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammer)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Cooperates with Lokomotion's training center for the IHK-recognized dual vocational training program for Eisenbahner im Betriebsdienst.
• TalkNET Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017EU Interreg Central Europe project involving 15 partners across 8 countries. Focus on improving cooperation between logistics stakeholders to make freight hubs more efficient. Lokomotion developed a concept for promoting eco-driving in train driver training.
• Rail Traction Company SpA (RTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Founded jointly in 2000 as a project company. RTC (30% shareholder) holds the Italian railway license and handles all Italian operations. While Lokomotion handles traction on German-Austrian routes, RTC operates on Italian territory. Both companies jointly operate the Munich-Verona Brenner corridor (up to 20 daily round trips) and the Tauern route, and share locomotive branding.
• DB Cargo AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 200030% shareholder and Germany's largest rail freight operator. Partner in wagon load traffic (WLV) and combined transport. Lokomotion handles traction on German-Italian routes for DB Cargo. Together they developed the Bremen-Verona company train product and WLV solutions for industry.
• Kombiverkehr GmbH & Co. KGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 200020% shareholder and leading German operator of combined transport (KV/KV). Kombiverkehr organizes the commercial product and wagons while Lokomotion provides traction services on the Brenner and Tauern corridors. Together they operate the Munich-Halkali Turkey route.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SBB Cargo: Swiss national rail freight operator with strong Alpine transit expertise and growing European footprint, competing for cross-border Alpine intermodal volumes.
• ÖBB Rail Cargo Group: Austrian incumbent rail freight operator and infrastructure gatekeeper, dominant on Tauern route operations and a direct competitor/supplementor for transit volumes across the Alps.
• DB Cargo AG: 30% shareholder of Lokomotion and Europe's largest rail freight operator; competes with and contracts Lokomotion on German-Italian corridors. Its scale, network, and pricing set the competitive floor for Lokomotion's addressable market.

Direct peers

• CAPTRAIN: CAPTRAIN is a pan-European private rail freight traction provider operating across multiple countries, competing with Lokomotion for cross-border industrial traffic and combined-transport volumes in DACH and Italy.
• Kombiverkehr GmbH & Co. KG: Lokomotion's 20% shareholder and primary co-developer of combined-transport products (UKV). Operates intermodal rail services on which Lokomotion supplies traction — making it both a customer and a market-overlapping peer.
• BoxXpress.de (formerly Euro Rail Solutions / ERS): Independent operator of intermodal container trains in Germany and Europe, sharing the combined-transport/UKV value proposition with Lokomotion on selected Germany–Italy and Germany–Netherlands corridors.
• TX Logistik (Trenitalia Group): Italian-owned rail freight operator with strong cross-border presence between Italy, Germany, Austria, and the Benelux, directly competing with Lokomotion on Brenner/Tauern combined-transport corridors.
• Rail Traction Company SpA (RTC): RTC is a 30% shareholder of Lokomotion and operates the Italian leg (Brenner–Verona/Suzzara) of the same combined-transport corridors. Same traction-only business model, same cross-border Alpine focus, joint branding and shared routes make RTC Lokomotion's most direct operating peer.

Regional players

• HGK (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln): German regional rail freight operator with Rhine-focused combined-transport services; competes for industrial wagon-load business in Germany, similar in scale and B2B/industrial customer profile to Lokomotion.

Others

• RAILPOOL: One of Lokomotion's locomotive leasing partners; broader rolling-stock lessor enabling cross-border operators. Comparable as an enabler of European rail traction rather than as a freight competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Lokomotion-Gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-Schienentraktion/100065604814980/?locale=de_DE
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/lokomotion-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-schienentraktion-mbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/lokomotion_de

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH