Wabtec Wins Over US$700 Million Railway Service Contract for Simandou in Guinea

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 21, Wabtec signed a long-term railway service contract worth more than US$700 million with Guinea's La Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG) to provide operation and maintenance support for Evolution series locomotives used on the supporting railway of the Simandou iron ore project. According to official disclosures from Guinea, the contract term exceeds 10 years, making it Wabtec's largest railway service contract in Africa to date. Combined with previous locomotive orders for the Simandou project, Wabtec's total locomotive and service business for the project has exceeded US$1.2 billion.

The contract covers CTG's Wabtec ES43AC series locomotives, with service scope including scheduled maintenance and unscheduled repairs, overhaul of parts and components, spare parts management, logistics support, personnel training, and advanced remote diagnostics, as well as localized service content. The ES43AC locomotives are equipped with 4,500-horsepower Evolution series diesel engines, configured for the high-temperature and heavy-haul railway operating environment in eastern Guinea.

This service contract directly corresponds to the subsequent long-term operation of the Trans-Guinean railway for Simandou. The railway, with a total length of more than 600 kilometers, connects the Simandou iron ore deposit in southeastern Guinea with the Port of Morebaya, and is responsible for iron ore transportation while also being planned to carry passenger and non-mining freight transport. As the railway and mine enter the operational phase, CTG will be responsible for the long-term operation of the related infrastructure, while Wabtec's contract covers the entire operation and maintenance chain of the locomotive fleet.

Wabtec had previously secured multiple locomotive orders for the Simandou project. In July 2024, the company obtained a US$277 million order from SimFer for Evolution series ES43ACmi locomotives; in January 2025, it secured a US$248 million locomotive and service order from Winning Consortium Simandou. In May 2025, the first ES43ACi locomotive for the Simandou project rolled off the production line at Wabtec's Marhowra plant in India, and the relevant locomotives subsequently began being shipped to Guinea.

This newly added contract further extends Wabtec's business in the Simandou project from locomotive manufacturing and delivery to long-term fleet maintenance, spare parts supply, remote diagnostics, and personnel training. During the contract execution period, local employee skills training in Guinea and cooperation with local enterprises will also be promoted, with the service scope directly covering the long-term operation of heavy-haul locomotives on the Trans-Guinean railway.