August 25 (SeeNews) - Polish locomotive leasing company Cargounit said on Thursday it has entered the Romanian market after delivering its first Smartron locomotive to a local client.
The expansion of Cargounit's business in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries will have a positive impact on the development of connectivity in the region, Cargounit said in a press release.
"Both the locomotive rental market in Poland and Romania, one of the largest railway markets in the region, have great potential. We are glad that our new client, Unicom Tranzit, has decided to choose Cargounit's offer to rent the two Smartron locomotives," Cargounit general manager Lukasz Boron said, adding that the company aims to increase the number of rented Smartron locomotives both on the Romanian and Bulgarian markets.
Smartron is the first of two locomotives leased by Romanian freight forwarding and transport company Unicom Tranzit.
"Today's delivery of the Smartron locomotive to our first partner in Romania is an important step in the development of the Cargounit business, along with the entry into the railway sector in Romania, which is a key market for us," Cargounit supervisory board president Cameron Cook said.
Founded in 2003, Cargounit has a fleet of 185 locomotives, of which 104 are electric. Its clients are major industrial groups in Poland and leading rail freight operators in Central and Eastern Europe.
Since October 2020, Cargounit is fully owned by Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF), an investment vehicle designed to finance key infrastructure projects in twelve EU Member States located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas.
In May, Romanian gas transmission system operator Transgaz signed a roadmap agreement with 3SIIF for the development of greenfield gas infrastructure projects in the country.