Summary: Johann Weitzer, an Austrian blacksmith and entrepreneur, founded a workshop in 1854 that grew into a major producer of railway wagons and arms. In 1872, it became a joint-stock company, later merging into Simmering-Graz-Pauker. In 1891, he established a Hungarian subsidiary that built locomotives, tramcars, and Europe’s first successful railcar series. In 1921, post-Austria-Hungary, Weitzer’s factories merged into ASTRA Arad and after WWII, it was nationalized as IVA, becoming Europe’s largest freight car producer, supplying Bucharest Metro and exporting globally. In 1990, the company was renamed as ASTRA Vagoane Arad. With privatization, in 1998-2000, it was split into specialists for the various branches. The production of freight cars, Astra Vagoane Arad, was sold to Trinity Industries, which sold it to International Railway Systems (IRS), seated in Luxemburg. IRS rapidly expanded by acquiring key assets in Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Switzerland. By 2007, IRS operated three main divisions: rail manufacturing, rail fleet services (Servtrans), and marine (via Severnav shipyard). In 2016, Astra Rail merged with The Greenbrier Companies, forming Greenbrier-Astra Rail. In 2017, the merged company became Greenbrier Europe.

➤ Other rolling stock suppliers in Europe: Alstom, CAF, Hitachi Rail Europe, Pesa, Siemens, Škoda, Stadler, Talgo, Vossloh