Akiem Inaugurates Its Locomotive Maintenance and Overhaul Workshop in Ostricourt, Northern France
In a fast-changing world where environmental challenges demand innovative solutions, Akiem is a proactive force at the heart of the revolution sweeping Europe’s rail industry
Maintenance: a major challenge for rolling stock lessors
After the acquisition of mgw Service in 2018, an independent locomotive maintenance company in Europe, Akiem has expanded its offerings, strengthened and consolidated its network in Europe through the creation of its Akiem Maintenance and Services activity.
Akiem continues to pursue this strategy in 2024 by investing in a new railway maintenance facility in Ostricourt, in Northern France. Akiem now offers its rail operator customers comprehensive maintenance services and turnkey solutions to ensure the availability and reliability of rolling stock, two major challenges for them.
The Ostricourt site: a modern workshop, strategic for the railway transport sector, with a full order book until 2030
Across Europe, Akiem offers its clients a truly integrated service including the provision and maintenance of locomotives. The Ostricourt facility strengthens its competitive position and illustrates its commitment to excellence in railway maintenance:
Thanks to the Ostricourt workshop, Akiem aims to double its maintenance capacity by 2026-2027 and to internalize the heavy maintenance of its Prima locomotives, thus extending their services lives by an additional decade. Our ambition is also to reduce our reliance on third parties and to develop new services, particularly by making our wheel lathe available in ‘open access’
Delivered in less than 18 months at a cost of nearly 22 million euros, this new maintenance center, covering more than 60,000 square meters, is equipped with 10 workstations that allow it to carry out routine “Full Service” maintenance activities as well as major overhauls (or mid-life operations, MLO) and underfloor wheel reprofiling. “This project, representative of our commitment to the French market, stimulates the national railway industry, acting as a catalyst in the development of a true new high-quality maintenance ecosystem focused on customer satisfaction and service innovation to ensure enhanced quality and safety, a high delivery rate, and reinforced operational availability,” adds Fabien Rochefort.
A meaningful project for the industry and the region
The construction of this workshop mobilized local companies. Its entry into service in May 2024 involves hiring around thirty new colleagues, increasing the site’s total workforce to 70 and helping revitalise and reindustrialise a region with strong historic links to the rail industry.
In the long term, with the support of local elected officials, we hope to create a training and apprenticeship center for rolling stock maintenance professions in the Hauts-de-France region, particularly in the Nord department
*This project was funded by the Government under the Recovery Plan, Territoire d’Industries programme.