According to the publication HNA, Alstom has initiated negotiations with potential buyers regarding the sale of its locomotive manufacturing plant in Kassel, Germany.
The facility employs approximately 800 people and is engaged in the production of locomotives, including various variants based on the Traxx platform. Employees were informed of the situation in late April; however, the identity of the interested party has not been disclosed due to a standing confidentiality agreement.
The Kassel plant has been manufacturing locomotives for nearly 180 years, tracing its origins back to the former Henschel works. It became part of Alstom following the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation in 2021. In recent years, Alstom has invested tens of millions of euros in the site and has also reorganized its production processes. In late 2025, the facility’s service division was spun off into a separate entity; however, approximately 100 employees engaged in this sector continue to work on the plant’s premises.
The plant’s works council and the IG Metall trade union have called for greater transparency regarding the scope of the potential transaction, as well as for guarantees safeguarding employees’ rights. Union representatives stated that the plant is currently operating at high capacity and possesses a robust order book.
This development follows Alstom’s 2024 sale of its Görlitz plant to the defense conglomerate KNDS; since that time, the production of railway rolling stock at that site has been replaced by the manufacture of defense-related products. In Kassel itself, both Rheinmetall and KNDS maintain manufacturing facilities; notably, Rheinmetall has already announced plans to expand its nearby plant, with projects scheduled to run through 2029.