DB Cargo UK agrees sale of 25 Class 66 locomotives to Romanian freight giant

DB Cargo UK has agreed a deal to sell 25 Class 66 freight locomotives to Romania’s largest private rail operator, Grup Feroviar Roman, marking a significant transfer of rolling stock from the UK to mainland Europe.

The multi-million-pound agreement will see the first locomotive, 66014, depart DB Cargo UK’s traction maintenance depot at Toton in Nottinghamshire at the end of January 2026. Deliveries will then continue on a phased basis, with all 25 locomotives expected to be handed over by mid-2028.

Before leaving the UK, each locomotive will be returned to current operational standards and repainted blue. The work will be carried out at Toton, which DB Cargo UK describes as its centre of excellence for locomotive maintenance.

Grup Feroviar Roman is the flagship company of the GRAMPET Group, the largest private freight rail transporter and logistics operator in Central and South-Eastern Europe. The group employs more than 7,500 people and operates across 10 countries, including Romania, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Moldova, Serbia, Greece, Slovenia and Macedonia.

With almost 25 years of experience, GFR has become a major player in Romania’s rail freight market, providing integrated transport services both domestically and internationally. Its fleet includes more than 15,000 wagons and around 350 locomotives, serving thousands of destinations across Europe.

DB Cargo UK’s Engineering Director Wayne Miller said:

“These locomotives are surplus to DB’s requirements and will still leave ample locomotives in our fleet to meet predicted traffic growth in future years. We’re proud to be reinstating the locomotives at our centre of excellence in Toton, and look forward to further developing this partnership.”

Sorin Chinde, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) and Vice President of the GRAMPET Group, said:

“This acquisition aligns with GRAMPET Group’s strategy of investing in high-performance rolling stock that enhances our operational efficiency. The locomotives purchased by Grup Feroviar Roman from DB Cargo UK will become the backbone of the operator’s diesel fleet in the years ahead. The replacement of the current LDE 2100 locomotive fleet, used for diesel traction, was necessary due to the rising maintenance costs of the existing fleet, caused by their age and the increasing difficulty of sourcing spare parts. The superior power characteristics and high availability of the Class 66 locomotives will allow us to withdraw from service a larger number of 2,100 HP locomotives than the number of units purchased from DB Cargo UK.”

Image: DB Cargo