GATX Rail Europe is moving forward with the times, embarking on eco-friendly operation processes that ensure a healthy global ecosystem and render our company’s development more durable and efficient. With one of the youngest, state-of-the-art fleets, our average railcar is only 17 years old. With foresight, despite the young age we have established an end-of-life process for old cars that leaves as little of a footprint as possible.

When a railcar nears the end of its approximately 30-year life expectancy, it only marks the possibility for a new beginning. This is because all GATX railcars that have reached retirement age are scrapped and recycled. And before anything is scrapped, it is carefully analyzed for which railcar components can be directly reused or upcycled to create components such as wheelsets, bearing boxes, buffers, brake gears, and more.

What cannot be saved is scrapped. And GATX has managed to limit all scrapping to an absolute minimum. Still, even what is discarded will not be left to eternally rust in a junkyard. Instead, we have committed to strong partnerships in complementary industries that allow for the realization of the circular duality in environmentally economic benefits.

Ludmila Steinborn, GATX Technical Services Coordinator, is happy to share that our company “plays a small but important part – our department’s goal is to recycle each car at 100% while working with key partners.” CMC Poland Sp. z o.o., is one such collaboration. The leading long-steel manufacturer makes high-quality, affordable steel from our old railcars: a tangible and effective solution for business and environment alike. “Cut into small pieces and heated to melt in 2,000 plus degree functioning ovens, our old railcars are thus transformed into new steel that is then made into first-rate wires. In this way, old rail products are given a second life to serve subsequently across diverse industries including construction, agriculture, energy, machines, and other consumer good markets,” Ludmila adds.

Inevitably, reaching for such environmental and economically sustainable solutions affects not only GATX Rail Europe, but also engages and flourishes other economic domains.

Götz Nink, CTO at GATX Rail Europe, confirms the importance of such partnerships and further adaptation of our industry’s green practices to progress forward. “Sustainability is not only for transport, but in everything we do – and so we are assessing and aiming high to make not only our railcars, but also every bit of our supply chain as climate neutral as possible” he said. Overall, we hope to have inspired our clients to join us in giving a simultaneous green light to both the environment and their businesses’ successful performance.

Monitor GATX Rail Europe’s existing services and future collaboration opportunities to learn how we aspire for greater sustainability, one step at a time.