As the festive season approaches, it’s time to reflect on the milestones and achievements that defined GATX Rail Europe’s 2024. Our teams have taken the opportunity to evaluate the progress we’ve made—transformations, improvements, and key goals set and accomplished—and are already gearing up for a successful 2025.

First and foremost, we want to celebrate the dedication and hard work of our GATX Rail Europe staff. This year, we’ve seen our teams grow closer, with a strong focus on collaboration and shared success. The sales organization, following last year’s shift to a more market-oriented structure, has fully settled in. We’ve also invested in high-impact team-building initiatives—everything from bottom-up strategy sessions, to hosting health days, to reshaping our company values—as well as simply spending time together to build stronger relationships. These efforts have had a tangible impact, bringing us closer as a team and enhancing our collective strength.

Our commitment to investing in our people has not gone unnoticed by our customers. The recent customer survey results revealed highly positive feedback across all key metrics and overall satisfaction, and we’re grateful for the trust and support of our customers. We’re currently analyzing the feedback to further improve our services in 2025. We believe that the results reflect the hard work and dedication from our teams. One of the highlights in terms of team effort has been the quality initiative. Our experts have zoomed in to ensure that components of our railcars stand the test of time —increasing the quality and performance of sensors, brakes, and wheelsets, yielding promising results.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made this year, but we’re never content to rest on our laurels,” said Johann Feindert, CEO of GATX Rail Europe. “Our focus remains on providing innovative and efficient solutions that drive success for our customers, and we look forward to continuing that journey together.”

In addition to internal growth, we’ve strengthened key partnerships in the areas of telematics and transportation innovation. Collaborations with companies like Kasasi, DOT Telematik, PJM, and Nevomo are helping us deliver more efficient, cutting-edge rail transportation solutions—aligning with our vision to empower our customers to propel the world forward.

We reached a significant milestone this year in fleet expansion. We’ve now surpassed 30,000 railcars, marking a major achievement in fleet size and diversity. The addition of new railcar types, including Laaers, new tank railcars, and different types of freight cars like E-railcars, has made our fleet more modern, flexible, and ready for future transportation requirements. While we’ve succeeded in maintaining high fleet utilization, we continue to face industry-wide challenges, particularly in the intermodal sector, which remains a key area of focus. It’s an industry issue that needs addressing, particularly considering the broader sustainability goals for road-to-rail CO2 adjustments.

Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to further expand our transportation portfolio to include new energy solutions—an increasingly strategic priority for the rail sector—and we’re looking at new railcar superstructures. From an organizational perspective, with the appointment of our new Chief Technical Officer, Clemens Aschl, we’re planning to adapt our technical department to better align with the evolving demands of our fleet, which is increasingly focused on freight railcar solutions. We will also put a focus on optimizing our railcar maintenance network, going beyond digitalization to introduce further standardization and harmonization.

As the year draws to a close, Johann Feindert and the Executive Team extend their warmest wishes for a joyful and peaceful holiday season. We remain deeply grateful for the growing partnerships with our valued customers, and as our office buzz slows down for a well-deserved break, we’re already gearing up to enter 2025 with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Our commitment to growing our fleet and evolving as a team, all while making railcar leasing easier for our clients, remains unwavering. And since 2025 is a transport logistics year, we hope to see many of you in person in Munich from 2-5 June to celebrate the milestone of 30,000 GATX railcars with you, our customers, colleagues, and partners.