Trinity Reaches Understanding to Purchase Astra Vagoane.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 1999--Trinity Industries Inc. (NYSE:TRN) announced today that it has reached an initial understanding to purchase 70 percent of stock in Astra Vagoane S.A. from the Romanian State Ownership Fund (SOF). Astra is a leading railcar manufacturer in Arad, Romania.

Trinity Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Tim Wallace said, "We are excited about the opportunities that Astra provides Trinity to initially enter the European market."

Trinity is in phase two of acquiring Astra, which will advance their position as a major railcar producer in Europe. Negotiations between Trinity and SOF will begin this month.

"International markets increasingly present us with opportunities to expand our known capabilities and be a quality provider of services to our customers," said Tim Wallace. "The acquisition of Astra is just the beginning in our overall European strategic plan to further increase our leadership positions within our various businesses."

"During the past several months while visiting the Astra facility, I have been very pleased with the quality of work and the operations. Astra has a strong history and tradition of providing quality products and services to their customers, as well as being committed to their employees," said Doug Schneider, Trinity's group president responsible for international expansion.

In the past few years, Trinity has expanded their operations in Mexico where they serve both Mexican and U.S. customers in a variety of businesses. Also, Trinity has business ventures and manufacturing facilities in South America.

Trinity Industries Inc., with headquarters in Dallas, is one of the nation's leading diversified industrial manufacturers. Trinity principally operates in three business segments: Transportation Products, Construction Products and Industrial Products.