foto: LTG Cargo/Illustrative photo
LTG Cargo Ukraine will shift its business model in September, moving from freight forwarding to rolling-stock leasing as demand for wagons and shunting power persists across wartime supply chains.
The pivot concentrates nearly 500 Lithuanian-owned wagons already in Ukraine under one manager and adds locomotives to the rental pool to underpin terminal and border operations, according to LTG’s press release.
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What Changes And Why
The Vilnius-based group says its Ukrainian subsidiary will cease classic forwarding and focus on leasing wagons and locomotives to shippers, terminals, and industrial sites. LTG frames the switch as a scale-and-focus play: by transferring a large pool of covered wagons and platforms into LTG Cargo Ukraine’s direct control, the company expects quicker allocation and higher utilisation. "We founded LTG Cargo Ukraine to strengthen logistics and supply chains between Lithuania and Ukraine… Bringing almost 500 wagons under LTG Cargo Ukraine ensures efficient deployment for clients," said CEO Eglė Šimė, noting the continuing role of rail in a country at war.
In practice, covered wagons will target building materials and food products, while platforms will serve container flows on the 1,520-mm network segments and cross-border interchanges. "The cargo slump at the start of the war—from 314 million tons in 2021 to 151 million in 2022—has slowly reversed as industry adapts; terminals now need diverse rolling stock," added Saulius Stasiūnas, head of LTG Cargo Ukraine, according to LRT.
Near-Term Additions: Two ČME3 Shunters For Border Terminals
LTG plans to ship two modernised ČME3 shunting locomotives to Ukraine this autumn, both overhauled at the LTG Cargo locomotive depot. The ČME3s—ubiquitous, heavy-duty yard engines—are slated primarily for private border terminals, where reliable switching boosts train formation and gate throughput. This is a capacity-at-the-margin play: even incremental shunting power can shorten dwell times and reduce missed slots on saturated cross-border corridors.
Looking ahead, the rental fleet is set to grow. Over two years, LTG plans to activate another 120 wagons for the Ukrainian market and add mainline 2M62K locomotives. The group is also considering redeploying Siemens diesel locomotives to Ukraine once new electric locomotives arrive in Lithuania.
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Context: From Crisis Logistics To A Focused Rental Platform
LTG says Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 initially paused strategy execution for its Ukrainian arm. The unit then pivoted into bridging logistics gaps: shifting loads stalled at Poland’s road crossings onto rail, standing up new grain routes, and arranging wide-gauge (1,520 mm) wagon flows via Poland to the Baltics. The new model formalises that wartime pragmatism by anchoring the business on assets Ukraine most immediately needs—wagons and locomotives—rather than intermediary forwarding.
To streamline customer care, LTG Cargo Polska in Poland will inherit the forwarding client book previously managed by LTG Cargo Ukraine, keeping cross-border services intact while the Ukrainian company specialises in rentals.