Georgian Railway has issued an electronic tender for the purchase of 120 new freight wagons valued at 20 million GEL, a procurement fully financed through savings generated by the company’s ongoing optimization program. Director General Lasha Abashidze said the move is the first concrete outcome of the reforms and signals the start of a broader effort to modernize the aging wagon and locomotive fleet.
The company stated that demand for freight wagons remains high, with the addition of new units being increasingly urgent. Each wagon in the planned purchase will have a capacity of 69 tons, helping relieve pressure on the current, largely outdated stock. Abashidze emphasized that renewal or modernization is required across much of the fleet and Georgian Railway intends to continue investing in upgrades to boost logistics capacity and overall operational efficiency.
The modernization push comes at a time of mixed financial performance. During the first nine months of 2025, Georgian Railway generated 454 million GEL in revenue from freight, logistics and passenger services, down 6% year-on-year. Despite this decline, profit rose to 91 million GEL, an annual increase of 15 million GEL. The improvement, however, was driven mainly by foreign exchange gains of 46.4 million GEL resulting from the appreciation of the Georgian lari against the U.S. dollar, in which the company’s debts are denominated. Without this effect, the company’s profitability would have been nearly halved.
