International Railway Systems
| Predecessor | International Railway Systems, IRS (2002-2011) |
|---|---|
| Successor | Greenbrier-Astra Rail (2016) |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Romania |
| Products | Rail wagons |
| Website | www.astrarail.com |
International Railway Systems (IRS) is a Romanian rail vehicle manufacturing company. It was formed in 2002 and part of the Trinity Industries Inc. European assets, adding further manufacturing plants in Romania, and a part forging plant in the Czech Republic. In 2011 the company became insolvent, following a severe downturn in rail wagon orders due to economic depression.
IRS's three main Romanian manufacturing facilities were reformed under the name Astra Rail Industries (ARI) in 2012, other activities were sold to third parties.
In 2016 The Greenbrier Companies and Astra Rail agreed to form a joint venture, 75% owned by Greenbrier, incorporating both the company's European operations. The new business was to be named Greenbrier-Astra Rail.
International Railway Systems was founded in 2002. The company acquired MEVA SA in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania from Trinity Industries Inc. in 2002. In 2004 ROMVAG SA in Caracal was acquired.
In 2006 IRS bought the European assets of Trinity Industries Inc. (USA) for $30 million. The acquired businesses were Astra Vagoane Arad (Romania), MSV Metals Stdenka (Czech Republic), and works in Zug, Switzerland and Poprad, Slovakia.
The resultant company in 2007 had three main business divisions: the rail manufacturing division consisted of Astra Vagoane Arad, Meva SA, and Romvag Caracal plus metal forgings manufacturer MSV Metal Studenka; rail wagon fleet company Servtrans; and the marine division through the holdings in Severnay shipyard.
In 2008 IRS together with an investor associate acquired a controlling share holding in three former subsidiaries of Mašinska Industrija Niš (Nis, Serbia), the manufacturing companies: MIN Vagonka (wagons), MIN Lokomotiva (locomotives), and Specijalna Vozila (lifting equipment, specialised vehicles). IRS acquired a 49% share of parent holding company Friulexport d.o.o.. In 2009 the contract of sale was annulled, and the privatisation of the companies reversed.
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