Georgian Railway Opens Tender for 45 Electric Freight Locomotives in €358m World Bank-Backed Deal

Georgian Railway has opened international procurement for 45 new electric freight locomotives worth an estimated €358 million ($413 million), RailFreight.com reported on August 6, 2026, in what will be the country's first purchase of new mainline electric freight locomotives since independence.

The tender falls under the World Bank-backed TC-GATE programme (Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor – Georgia Accessibility and Transport Enhancement), which aims to strengthen Georgia's position on the Middle Corridor linking China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caucasus and the Black Sea.

Under the published schedule, bids open on October 30, 2026, offers are evaluated by February 2027, and the contract is due to be signed in April 2027. Delivery of all 45 locomotives is scheduled to be completed by November 2031.

The locomotive order is part of a wider financing package worth roughly €650 million ($750 million) for Georgia's rail sector, combining loans from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

For rolling stock manufacturers, the tender opens a rare greenfield electrification contract on a corridor that shippers increasingly view as an alternative route for Central Asia-Europe freight that bypasses Russia.