Texmaco Rail and Engineering Limited, Touax Group and TrinityRail Global have formed an expanded joint venture, TouaxTexmacoRailcar Leasing Private Limited (TTRL), to scale up railcar leasing in India. The partners plan to invest Rs 18 billion (Rs 18 bn) to procure 100 new rakes over the next three to five years, aiming to boost capacity for freight operators. The combined platform brings Indian manufacturing capability, European leasing and asset management expertise and North American rail engineering experience. The capital commitment will be deployed across manufacturing, leasing operations and lifecycle services to support fleet availability and upkeep. Under the revised shareholding Texmaco and Touax will each hold 34 per cent of TTRL while TrinityRail will hold 32 per cent. The partners said the structure is intended to shorten production timelines, reduce maintenance costs and improve asset utilisation. They noted that pooling expertise across jurisdictions is intended to enhance operational efficiency and investor returns. The joint venture will target a broad range of activities including railcar design, manufacturing, financing, leasing, maintenance, lifecycle engineering and asset management. Company officials indicated the platform will introduce best-in-class rolling stock and support more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable freight movement across the network. They added that the planned investment in 100 rakes would increase capacity and flexibility for the market and support fleet modernisation. The partners expect increased asset utilisation and lower total cost of ownership for operators as lifecycle engineering and proactive maintenance are scaled. The venture is expected to benefit from infrastructure initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti, the National Logistics Policy and the expansion of Dedicated Freight Corridors. Texmaco's chairman characterised the partnership as a significant step towards building a future-ready rail freight ecosystem while Touax emphasised the transformative role of leasing in transportation industries. TrinityRail committed to bringing wagon design, lifecycle optimisation, maintenance, financing and technology-enabled asset management to the Indian market. The partners expect the expanded platform to help develop a stronger railcar leasing ecosystem and contribute to efforts to raise the rail share in freight movement. They framed the initiative as aligned with the National Rail Plan target to increase the rail share in freight from 27 per cent to 45 per cent.