Serbian-made Rail Cars on Railroads Throughout Europe – Subotica Company Tatravagonka Bratstvo to Expand Operations and Number of Employees

The company Tatravagonka Bratstvo has been in the business of reconstruction, repair and production of rail car components for 130 years now, and in August it started the production of a new type of a cistern-car. All the components will be produced in Subotica and wholly new rail cars will be leaving the factory.

– The production capacity at our factory is around 20 rail cars a month. The construction of a new hall on 3,600 m2, which will start working from January 2021 and which will also produce the new Zacns rail cars, of 98 m3, is in progress as well, so we expect to double the production from 2021 – the director of the company, Vladimir Sedlak, says for eKapija.

Tatravagonka's clients mostly come from western Europe.

– At the moment, we have agreements with clients until the end of 2021. The clients mostly come from western Europe, but our company is also ready to deliver to the local market – Sedlak points out.

This year's investment in the construction of a new hall and the reconstruction of the existing ones and the modernization of the equipment is around EUR 5 million. Along with the expansion of the production, the company is also to increase the number of workers and the plan is for another 70-80 people to be employed.

The pandemic, our interviewee points out, has slowed down the plans, but hasn't stopped the production.

– The production has not stopped, but the pandemic has slowed down the plans, mostly because of the closing of the borders, because foreign inspectors need to check the rail cars – Sedlak says.

The Tatravagonka Bratstvo factory takes up 17 hectares in the southwest part of Subotica, 3 km away from the international Budapest-Belgrade highway.

The current annual capacity of the factory is around 1,000 cargo rail car overhauls and the production of around 200 new cargo rail cars.

In March 2011, the factory was privatized and renamed as Tatravagonka Bratstvo DOO.

Ivana Milovanovic

Tatravagonka Bratstvo doo Subotica

Vladimir Sedlak

production of rail cars

production of cistern cars

cistern rail cars

construction of a hall

construction of a facility

number of employees

Zacns rail cars

reconstruction of a hall

modernization of equipment