The installed base of tracking devices for rail freight wagons will reach nearly 1.4 million by 2030, according to Berg Insight.

The market for real-time tracking for locomotives, multiple units and rail wagons is expected to continue to grow in the next years. The installed base of tracking devices on rail freight wagons reached 875,000 units worldwide at the end of 2025. By the end of 2030, the installed base is forecast to reach nearly 1.4 million units.

Annual shipments are estimated to grow from 175,000 units in 2025 to around 350,000 units in 2030. Globally, the penetration of tracking devices within the rail freight wagon segment reached 16.6 per cent at the end of 2025. This figure is estimated to reach 24.5 per cent by the end of 2030.

Tracking and monitoring for rail freight wagons are primarily provided by specialist telematics companies offering aftermarket products. Providers in this segment include the European companies Nexxiot (Switzerland), Dot Telematik und Systemtechnik (Austria), Savvy Telematic Systems (Switzerland), Intermodal Telematics (Netherlands), Level Systems (Czech Republic), Giesecke+Devrient (Germany), Cargomon Systems (Austria) and PJM (Austria), as well the North American companies Amsted Rail (USA), BlackBerry (Canada) and Orbcomm (USA).

Modern locomotives and passenger trains typically include some form of tracking and monitoring technology as standard. Major OEMs, such as Alstom, Siemens Mobility, CAF, Hitachi Rail and Stadler Rail, develop connected products for their trains. Several specialist telematics companies and providers of on-board train systems also offer aftermarket products, providing hardware and software that enable remote monitoring of the location and condition of locomotives and multiple units.

Companies in this category include the European players EKE-Electronics (Finland), HaslerRail (Switzerland), Nomad Digital (UK) and Railnova (Belgium), as well as the North American players Railhead (USA), Wi-Tronix (USA), Quester Tangent (Canada) and ZTR Control Systems (Canada).

“The value of railway telematics extends beyond knowing where a wagon or locomotive is located,” said Martin Apelgren, principal analyst at Berg Insight.

Location tracking remains a core feature, but the ability to combine positioning data with sensor data such as mileage, shocks, temperature, load status and component condition significantly broadens the range of applications. This enables more proactive maintenance and improved service quality.

“Growing demand for higher transport reliability, improved rolling stock utilisation and better information sharing across the rail value chain will continue to drive the adoption of telematics in the coming years,” said Apelgren.

Download the report brochure at media.berginsight.com/2026/06/09163731/bi-railway2-ps.pdf.