There is light on the horizon for Leipzig-based tram manufacturer HeiterBlick: since insolvency proceedings were opened in spring 2025, there has been great uncertainty about the future of the medium-sized company (we reported on this HERE), but now a solution is emerging, according to several regional media reports.
Polish rail vehicle manufacturer PESA apparently intends to acquire a majority stake in the company, thereby ensuring the plant’s survival. One prerequisite for this is the approval of the financial institutions involved. In addition, the existing firm order for trams for the local transport company LVB is expected to be increased by a further 30 vehicles in order to secure the plant’s capacity utilisation. Twenty-five trams in a 45-metre ‘XXL’ version were already included in the order backlog. After lengthy negotiations, the Leipzig utility and transport company LVV, to which LVB belongs, is now prepared to order the additional new trams following a corresponding city council decision, with the city of Leipzig providing a default guarantee of approximately EUR 150 million.
The uncertainty of the past few months had already had drastic consequences for HeiterBlick GmbH: existing orders from the Zwickau and Görlitz transport companies were cancelled, and Alstom, as a subcontractor for car bodies, suspended deliveries in the summer.
In addition to the orders from Leipzig, the order backlog currently includes supply contracts with the Dortmund public transport operator DSW 21 and Würzburger Versorgungs- und Verkehrs-GmbH (WVV). 2 of the 18 low-floor vehicles ordered by Würzburg have been on site and undergoing testing for some time (more on this HERE and HERE), while 24 of the 34 new light rail vehicles ordered by Dortmund have been delivered to date (see HERE). Both companies have been concerned about the future of further deliveries for months. Placing a new order with another vehicle manufacturer would, for example in Würzburg, lead to delays of several years in the necessary modernisation of the fleet.
PESA intends to use its plant in Leipzig to expand its overall production capacity so that it can process future orders on time.
25.12.2025
