VERS launches second CEF consortium

VERS launches second CEF consortium

Access to 1.17 million euros in EU funding opened for 15 wagon keepers

For the second time, the VPI service company VERS is involved as a consortium leader in order to make it easier for wagon keepers to access EU funding for the noise remediation of their fleets. 15 companies will confirm their participation in the VERS consortium with their signature on September 19 in the run-up to the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin, most of them wagon keepers from Eastern Europe. They plan to make future-oriented investments in their fleets: once retrofitted, their wagons can be used freely and with low noise levels across borders.

The formation of a consortium is particularly necessary for smaller wagon keepers, as it is only possible to apply for funds from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program if the number of wagons exceeds 2,000. Together, the consortium participants bring in 3,500 wagons and can receive up to 1.17 million euros in funding. The CEF program runs until the end of 2026.

“Our consortium leadership offer for small and medium-sized wagon keepers is proving to be a real success model. Especially for these companies, access to funding is crucial to tackle the cost-intensive noise remediation of their fleets,” emphasizes Karl-Heinz Fehr, VPI's legal counsel. VERS had already successfully established a consortium in 2019 to solicit CEF funds from the first call. More than 2.5 million euros have been distributed to date to the eight participating companies

The following 15 companies are participating in the current consortium:

• Cargo Wagon, a.s., SK
• Danucem Wien GmbH, AT
• GATX Rail Austria GmbH, AT
• INA – Industrija nafte d.d., Croatia (CRO) 
• MOL Magyar Olaj- és Gázipari Nyrt., HU     
• NH-TRANS SE, CZ 
• PETROLSPED Kft., HU
• Pultrans Kft., HU 
• sbs wagon s.r.o., CZ                                     
• sbs wagon rail s.r.o., CZ
• SBS Cargo Praha s.r.o., CZ 
• SLOVNAFT, a.s., SK 
• TransPlus (Slovensko) s.r.o., SK
• TRANSWAGGON GmbH, DE 
• VTG RAIL EUROPE GmbH, DE