TSA by Wiener Neudorf – Electrifying plans for rail and road

Traktionssysteme Austria – behind the unwieldy name lies the Vienna Neudorf-based world market leader for propulsion systems for rail vehicles: “Vehicles with our engines run in 68 countries,” says Managing Director Robert Tencl. In connection with the upcoming European Football Championship, trains with TSA technology are running in all participating countries except Albania. Every year, 10,000 pieces leave the factory near Vienna. This year the target is 200 million euros in turnover. With 10,000 engines per year, the Lower Austrian company is the world market leader.

India is a huge market
And TSA already does about a quarter of its business in India. “There we work together with a partner, which is essential for entering the local market,” says Tencl about the joint venture.

Growth is very strong in this region, there is still a lot of catching up to do, its importance has increased in recent years and the government is continuing the expansion of the railway there. TSA also has a production facility in India with several hundred employees, but they only serve the local market.

Engines used outside Europe in East Asia, Africa and the US
The TSA is also represented in Taiwan, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in South Africa and Brazil. “Our engines are used on all five continents,” says Tencl. Boston’s streetcar fleet is currently being renewed; TSA supplies approximately 1,600 single locomotives that will be used as double locomotives. In the States you can even be on site with some employees.

This year, an order was won in Milan for 736 engines that will power 46 new metro trains. The locomotives have been in use on the trams there since 2022 and more have now been ordered. The rail vehicles are built by Stadler Rail, the Swiss manufacturer is the largest customer. In Vienna, ÖBB’s new double-decker aircraft will also have TSA propulsion, including the CAT trains. A large order was landed in Berlin. The modern metro systems were put into use at the beginning of this year. In Vienna, the drive systems are also installed in the metro and the Neudorfer company also collaborates with the French manufacturer Alstom, which produces the Viennese “Pums”. In Spain, Renfre high-speed trains also run with TSA engines. By the way, most of the engines are installed in the Moscow metros, but since the start of the war in 2022, business relations here have been completely put on hold.

The number of engines must be increased by half
Because every rail vehicle is different, the engines are only made to order and there is no stock. “We are unique in the world when it comes to specialization. Large industrial groups also build engines for rail vehicles, but they see this as one of many business activities,” says Tencl. He has clear growth goals for the future: “We want to grow from 10,000 to 15,000 engines by 2030.” Sales are expected to increase by 20 to 30 percent. A new field of expertise is electric motors for buses. “The megatrend of electrification is of great benefit to us,” says Tencl.

Buses currently only account for about 5 percent, but this share is expected to increase; in the US the engines are also used for ‘defence’ vehicles. In terms of volume, this will certainly increase sales figures. Tencl expects the bus sector to grow twice as fast as the train sector in the coming years.

The director himself is a co-owner
Production takes place in Wiener Neudorf, from where all products leave the factory. With 440 employees, most of them work here. Deliveries come from Bosnia, where very labor-intensive tasks take place. “The development of the technology takes place in Wiener Neudorf,” Tencl emphasizes. He has a 15 percent stake. Since 2020, the rest is owned by Voith (37 percent) and the Swiss PCS Holding (48 percent).