Waggonbau Görlitz
A historic Görlitz-based German rolling-stock manufacturer best known for its double-deck railway coaches.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Waggonbau Görlitz is a historic railway-vehicle manufacturing business based in Görlitz, Saxony. Its industrial origins are generally dated to 1849, when coachbuilder Johann Christoph Lüders and metalworker Conrad Schiedt won a municipal contract to build rail vehicles for timber transport from the Görlitz Heath. The enterprise grew alongside Germany’s railway network, developing from a craft workshop into a large industrial works producing passenger, baggage, freight and military rail vehicles. The company passed through several corporate forms. In 1869 the Lüders works were reorganized as a stock corporation, enabling significant expansion. In 1921 the rolling-stock factory merged with Görlitzer Maschinenbau AG and the Cottbus engineering and foundry company to form WUMAG, or Waggon- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Görlitz. The business later became part of the state-owned East German railway-equipment structure. After the Second World War, the plant suffered dismantling for reparations and a major fire in August 1945, but it was rebuilt under German administration. Rail-car production was separated from engineering activities and became VEB Waggonbau Görlitz, later integrated into the LOWA locomotive and rolling-stock group. During the German Democratic Republic period, Görlitz became a major supplier to railway operators across the Eastern Bloc. The factory produced a broad portfolio of rolling stock and related components, while its Görlitz bogie design became a commercially important and enduring product family. Production expanded strongly during the postwar decades. By the late 1980s the workforce included German and Polish employees, and the plant was producing several hundred rail cars annually, including double-deck coaches. The site’s most distinctive product was the double-deck coach. The first Görlitz double-deck coaches were built in 1935 for the Lübeck-Büchen Railway to serve routes around Hamburg. After reunification, the factory was reorganized as Waggonbau Görlitz GmbH and became part of Deutsche Waggonbau AG, or DWA. The site was modernized as a competence center for double-deck coaches and ICE T vehicles. DWA was acquired by Advent International in 1996 and subsequently integrated into Bombardier Transportation in 1998. Under Bombardier, Görlitz supplied double-deck coaches and electric multiple-unit trains to Deutsche Bahn and developed variants for customers in Israel, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland. The plant delivered its 5,000th double-deck coach to Deutsche Bahn in 1995 and received substantial orders for newer generations of double-deck vehicles during the 2000s and 2010s. Bombardier’s 2010-generation coaches and later double-deck trainsets helped maintain high utilization, with production reaching full capacity in parts of the period through 2014. Following Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, the Görlitz site belonged to Alstom from 2021 until 2025. Alstom announced plans in 2024 to close or repurpose the rail-vehicle operation and shift production to Poland by mid-2026. The announced transition generated opposition from employees and the IG Metall union, which had previously negotiated employment-security measures. In 2025 the site was sold to defense manufacturer KNDS. According to the supplied reference material, the plant remained open during the remainder of 2025 to complete Twindexx Dosto orders for Israel Railways and several tram orders, while approximately 400 employees were retained. The final train wagon was reported as delivered on 16 December 2025, after a ceremony marking the last three wagons built at the factory in October 2025. The planned post-2025 production role is associated with military vehicles, including Leopard 2 tanks, but the precise operating structure and status of that transition require verification.
History
The origins of Waggonbau Görlitz lie in the coachbuilding activity of Johann Christoph Lüders, who established a workshop in Görlitz in 1828. Lüders began constructing coaches after moving premises in 1829. In 1849 he and Conrad Schiedt won a municipal tender to build two rail cars for transporting timber from the Görlitz Heath. Lüders moved the rolling-stock operation to Brunnenstrasse, where steam-powered industrial equipment was installed in 1853. The works expanded rapidly as railway construction accelerated across the German states. It delivered 81 rail cars in 1852 and employed 205 people from nine trades by the end of that year. Output reached hundreds of vehicles annually during the following decades, and the workforce grew to approximately 500 by 1862. In 1869 Lüders sold the factories to Berlin merchant J. Mamroth. The new owner converted the enterprise into a stock corporation; its share offering was heavily subscribed, providing capital for continued expansion. In 1872 the company built approximately 2,000 rail cars and employed more than 1,200 people. In 1921 the Waggonfabrik Görlitz merged with Görlitzer Maschinenbau AG and the Cottbus engineering and iron-foundry company, creating WUMAG. The company also participated for a period in EISLIG, a railway-supply association formed amid financial pressure in the industry. During the 1920s the works presented the Drehgestell Bauart Görlitz, or Görlitz bogie design, which became an important product family. The first double-deck coaches associated with the Görlitz works were built in 1935 for the Lübeck-Büchen Railway. The factories were subsequently reorganized for military production under Nazi rule. During the Second World War the number of German workers fell while forced labor from a nearby concentration camp increased. This history is a significant part of the site’s industrial record. After the war, Soviet occupation authorities ordered dismantling as reparations, and a fire on 7–8 August 1945 destroyed much of the remaining rolling-stock factory. The two principal works were returned to German administration in September 1945 and January 1946. Reconstruction proceeded under new management after former managers left for the western occupation zones. Deutsche Reichsbahn orders supported the revival, and the workforce increased from 242 people in December 1945 to approximately 1,500 by the end of 1946. Engineering operations were separated into a new WUMAG engineering company, while rail-car production became VEB Waggonbau Görlitz. The company joined the LOWA state-owned locomotive and rolling-stock group in 1948. In East Germany, the factory became a significant producer for domestic railways and customers throughout the Eastern Bloc. Its product range extended beyond conventional rail cars, and employment reached 5,754 by the end of 1950. Turnover reportedly doubled between 1970 and 1983. Although bogie production was later transferred to Vetschau, demand for labor remained high. Polish workers were employed from 1988, and by the end of that year the plant had 3,576 German and 240 Polish employees producing 337 rail cars, including 115 double-deck coaches. German reunification brought reorganization and privatization. From 1 May 1990, the works operated as Waggonbau Görlitz GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Waggonbau AG. The Görlitz facilities were later designated DWA Werk Görlitz and developed as a center for double-deck coaches and ICE T coaches. The site delivered its 5,000th double-deck coach to Deutsche Bahn in July 1995. Advent International acquired DWA in March 1996, and Bombardier Transportation integrated DWA in February 1998. The late 1990s brought major Deutsche Bahn orders, new construction facilities and a concentration of production at the remaining site. The first ICE T was delivered in April 1998, and the first Class 445 double-deck electric multiple units followed around 1998–1999. The plant subsequently developed or produced double-deck vehicles for several European markets, including Israel, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland. By the end of 2008 it had more than 1,200 employees and dozens of apprentices. Bombardier secured large orders for newer double-deck generations from Deutsche Bahn in 2009 and 2010. These vehicles also won public tenders elsewhere in Europe, helping the plant operate at full capacity during portions of the period through 2014. After Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, the site became part of Alstom in 2021. Alstom’s 2024 plans to shift production to Poland and close or repurpose the rail operation prompted labor opposition. The reference material states that KNDS acquired the site in 2025, retained roughly 400 employees and planned a defense-oriented future, while remaining rail orders were completed. The reported final rail-wagon delivery occurred on 16 December 2025. Claims about post-2025 tank production and the exact legal and operational status of the facility should be independently verified.
- 2025
Reported sale to KNDS
[1]The supplied reference reports the sale of the site to KNDS and the completion of its final rail-wagon orders.
- 2021
Transfer to Alstom
[1]The site became part of Alstom following Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation.
- 1998
Integration into Bombardier Transportation
[1]Bombardier Transportation integrated Deutsche Waggonbau and the Görlitz works.
- 1995
5,000th double-deck coach
[1]The site delivered its 5,000th double-deck coach to Deutsche Bahn.
- 1990
Reorganization after reunification
[1]The works became Waggonbau Görlitz GmbH and a subsidiary of Deutsche Waggonbau AG.
- 1948
Integration into LOWA
[1]VEB Waggonbau Görlitz became part of the East German LOWA locomotive and rolling-stock group.
- 1945
Postwar destruction and reconstruction
[1]The factory was affected by Soviet dismantling orders and a major fire before reconstruction under German administration.
- 1935
First double-deck coaches
[1]The works built their first double-deck coaches for the Lübeck-Büchen Railway.
- 1921
Formation of WUMAG
[1]The rolling-stock works merged with Görlitz engineering and Cottbus foundry businesses to form WUMAG.
- 1869
Conversion into a stock corporation
[1]The Lüders factories were acquired and reorganized as a stock corporation to support industrial expansion.
Products and positioning
A historic specialist in railway rolling stock, particularly double-deck passenger coaches and bogies, with a customer base concentrated among European railway operators and public transport authorities.
Railway bogies · 1921
Görlitz bogies
The Görlitz bogie design was presented during the WUMAG period in the 1920s and became one of the company’s most recognizable technical products. It was developed for railway vehicles requiring stable running characteristics and practical maintainability. Production was later moved to Vetschau, but the design remained associated with the Görlitz engineering tradition and continued to be manufactured in later forms.
Passenger railway rolling stock · 1935
Double-deck railway coaches
Double-deck coaches are the defining product line of the Görlitz works. First produced for the Lübeck-Büchen Railway in 1935, they provided increased passenger capacity within constrained platform and route lengths. The line evolved through East German, DWA, Bombardier and Alstom generations and was supplied to railway operators in Germany and several other European countries, as well as Israel.
Intercity passenger rail vehicles · 1998
ICE T coaches
The modernized Görlitz site was developed as a competence center for ICE T coaches during the DWA period. The first ICE T associated with the plant was delivered in April 1998, demonstrating the factory’s role beyond conventional regional rolling stock.
Double-deck trainsets and coaches
Twindexx Dosto
Twindexx Dosto is a later generation of double-deck passenger rolling stock produced within the Bombardier and Alstom lineage. The reference material states that remaining orders for Israel Railways were completed during the final phase of rail production at Görlitz.
Controversies
1940
Forced labor during the Second World War
During the Nazi period the factories were reorganized for military production. The reference material records a decline in the number of German workers and a rise in forced laborers from a nearby concentration camp. Exact dates, identities and the full scope of the forced-labor system require consultation of specialist historical sources.
Brand decisions
2025
Sale of the site to KNDSM&ABackground
The sale followed Alstom’s decision to restructure the Görlitz rail-manufacturing operation.
Action taken
The supplied reference reports that KNDS acquired the site and retained approximately 400 employees.
Aftermath
The plant reportedly completed remaining rail orders and was intended to transition toward defense production, including military vehicles. The precise legal entity and production timetable need verification.
2024
Alstom planned to shift production away from GörlitzStrategyBackground
Following its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, Alstom reviewed its European manufacturing footprint and announced plans affecting the Görlitz rail operation.
Action taken
Alstom announced plans to close the plant’s rail-production activity and move production to Poland by mid-2026.
Aftermath
The announcement prompted employee and union opposition. The site was subsequently reported as sold to KNDS, with remaining rail orders completed during 2025.
2009
Deutsche Bahn orders the 2010-generation double-deck coachesProduct launchBackground
Deutsche Bahn continued renewing and expanding its double-deck fleet, creating demand for a newer generation of coaches.
Action taken
Bombardier received an order for 800 new-generation double-deck coaches.
Aftermath
A further order for 135 intercity double-deck electric multiple-unit vehicles followed in 2010, and later tenders helped keep the Görlitz works highly utilized.
1998
Integration into Bombardier TransportationM&ABackground
Deutsche Waggonbau AG had been privatized after reunification and acquired by Advent International in 1996. Bombardier subsequently negotiated the integration of DWA and its Görlitz facilities.
Action taken
Bombardier Transportation integrated the Görlitz rolling-stock operation into its international manufacturing network.
Aftermath
The site expanded its role as a European center for double-deck coaches and supplied customers in multiple countries.
Sources1 sources
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