VTG manufactures and maintains freight wagons – from new tank wagon construction through overhauls to wheelset reconditioning – and leases Europe's largest private wagon fleet.
VTG GmbH
Hamburg · Elze · Wesseling · Celle · Joigny (FR) · Trnava (SK) and further locations in more than 20 countriesNew on Amplifa
Manufacturing and maintenance across the entire life cycle
VTG GmbH, headquartered in Hamburg, is a leading company in European rail freight transport with a fleet of more than 75,000 freight wagons in 26 countries. In addition to wagon leasing and rail logistics, VTG operates its own workshop network covering the entire vehicle life cycle: Waggonbau Graaff GmbH in Elze has been developing and manufacturing chemical and pressure-gas tank wagons in stainless steel and mild steel, as well as fittings and valves, for over 100 years. Waggonwerk Brühl in Wesseling, SEMA in Celle, Ateliers de Joigny in France and Želos in Slovakia perform maintenance, inspections, overhauls, major inspections, damaged-wagon repairs, conversion projects and component maintenance for axles, bogies and brake systems. Each year, 430 tank wagons are newly produced, more than 14,000 wheelsets are reconditioned and 8,000 maintenance jobs on VTG wagons are completed. The offering is complemented by six mobile service teams in Germany, rail logistics, tank container solutions and the digital customer platform traigo.
- Site
- Hamburg
- Processes
- Tank wagon new construction (chemical and pressure-gas wagons), Development, design and manufacturing of freight wagons/special solutions, Manufacturing of fittings and valves, Maintenance, inspection and overhaul of freight wagons (incl. G4.8, G4.2, G4.0 overhauls), Wheelset reconditioning, Repair and damaged-wagon reconditioning, Major inspections and modernizations of freight wagons, Component maintenance for axles, bogies and brake systems
- Materials
- Stainless steel, Mild steel, Welding
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ECM (Regulation EU 2019/779), ISO 50001, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1951
- Industries
- Agriculture, Automotive, Building materials, Chemicals, Waste management and recycling, Gases
- 01
Wagon construction and engineering
- 02
Sheet metal working and welding (tank and wagon construction)
- 03
Fittings and valve manufacturing
- 04
Repainting and insulation
- 05
Testing (tank, function and leak tests)
- 06
Maintenance, overhaul and modernization
- 07
Wheelset and component reconditioning
- 08
Mobile on-site service
Materials and processes
Stainless steel
Material for chemical and pressure-gas tank wagons at Waggonbau Graaff.
Mild steel
Structural steel for wagon bodies, underframes and components.
Welding
Welding work at Waggonwerk Brühl for repair and new construction.
Plants and locations
Elze
DEWaggonbau Graaff GmbH – new-build plant for tank wagons, development and manufacturing of special solutions, fittings
- Part weight / size
- Complete wagons (chemical and pressure-gas wagons)
- Lot size
- 450 wagons/year
- Materials
- Stainless steel, mild steel
- Wagon factory (new construction since 1914)
Wesseling
DEWaggonwerk Brühl GmbH parent plant – maintenance, overhaul, repair, modernization; plus service bases
- Lot size
- Overhauls according to G4.8, G4.2, G4.0; 6 mobile service teams nationwide
- Materials
- Steel
- 14 km of track installation
- 130,000 m² of plant area
- Tank testing rig (air/water)
- Nitrogen purge and filling system
Celle
DESEMA GmbH – service manufacturing for maintenance, servicing and repair, bogie reconditioning, brake tests and
Joigny (FR)
FRAteliers de Joigny S.A.S. – axle maintenance, overhaul, component maintenance, conversion and manufacturing projects
- Lot size
- 7,000 axles/year
Trnava (SK)
SKŽELOS, spol. s.r.o. – repair, maintenance and modernization of freight wagons
Hamburg
DEHeadquarters of VTG GmbH (Frankenstraße 10) with sales, engineering and the Ahaus Alstätte central warehouse Wagon &
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank wagon new construction (chemical and pressure-gas wagons)Casting | – | – | – | 450 wagons per year | Edelstahl, Normalstahl |
| Development, design and manufacturing of freight wagons/special solutionsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Edelstahl, Normalstahl |
| Manufacturing of fittings and valvesMachining | – | – | – | – | Edelstahl, Normalstahl |
| Maintenance, inspection and overhaul of freight wagons (incl. G4.8, G4.2, G4.0 overhauls)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wheelset reconditioningMachining | – | – | – | 14,000+ wheelsets per year (VTG total) | – |
| Repair and damaged-wagon reconditioningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Major inspections and modernizations of freight wagonsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Component maintenance for axles, bogies and brake systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engineering and conversion projects for freight wagonsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Welding workJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Tank wagon cleaning, tank tests (with air and water), nitrogen purging and fillingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Paint touch-up and repaintingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Insulation repairSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Fittings reconditioningSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mobile on-site service (6 mobile teams nationwide)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Function and leak testing of tanksTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bogie reconditioning, brake tests and brake conversionsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Axle maintenanceMachining | – | – | – | 7,000 axles per year | – |
| Maintenance of bogies, couplers and draft gears as well as brake systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Conversion, modernization and manufacturing projects for freight wagons and componentsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagon factory / new-build plant | Waggonbau Graaff GmbH | 1 | – | 1914 | Elze, Heinrich-Nagel-Straße 1, 31008 |
| Maintenance plant | Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH | 6 sites | Parent plant Wesseling: 130,000 m² of plant area, 14 km of track installation | 1908 | Wesseling (parent plant), Großräschen, among others |
| Maintenance plant | SEMA GmbH | 1 | – | 2002 | Celle, Neuenhäuser Str. 6-8 |
| Maintenance plant | Ateliers de Joigny S.A.S. | 1 | – | 1968 | Joigny, France |
| Maintenance plant | Želos | 1 | – | – | Trnava, Slovakia |
| Mobile service teams | Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH | 6 | nationwide | – | Germany |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and certifications
VTG operates with certified management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001) and is active as a railway maintenance undertaking under the ECM Regulation (EU 2019/779). Overhauls according to G4.8, G4.2 and G4.0 as well as tank, function and leak tests ensure wagon quality.
| Evidence | Wesseling | Elze | Celle | Joigny (FR) | Trnava (SK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |||||
| ISO 14001 | |||||
| ISO 50001 | |||||
| ECM (Regulation EU 2019/779) |
Company history
- 1872
Foundation of the Erste Eisenbahnwagen-Leihgesellschaft AG (EEL) in Austria – the birth of private wagon leasing in Europe.
- 1892
Foundation of the successor company OEVA in Vienna.
- 1951
Foundation of VTG Vereinigte Tanklager und Transportmittel GmbH in Hamburg as a state-owned enterprise.
- 1961
Privatization through sale to Preussag (today the TUI Group).
- 1981
Entry into the tank container business.
- 2002
Acquisition of the European wagon leasing business of the Brambles Group (+23,000 wagons).
- 2004
Renaming to VTG Aktiengesellschaft.
- 2007
IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange; acquisition of Tankspan Leasing Ltd.
- 2008
Entry into the North American wagon leasing business and acquisition of the wagon manufacturing division of the Graaff Group.
- 2015
Acquisition of Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn AG (AAE); fleet of more than 80,000 wagons.
- 2018
Acquisition of NACCO; fleet of more than 90,000 wagons.
- 2019
Delisting of the VTG share.
- 2020
Launch of the digital customer platform traigo.
- 2021
Sale of the North American wagon leasing business as well as the tank container overseas activities.
- 2022
150 years of private wagon leasing in Europe; conversion to the legal form of a GmbH.