RZD eyes buying 1,250 locomotives

Russian Railways (RZD) says it plans to acquire 1,250 locomotives between 2011 and 2013, at a cost of roughly 112 billion rubles, or about $3.6 billion.

RZD President Vladimir Yakunin, explaining the planned move, said, “The locomotive fleet has traditionally been one of the key elements of the network’s operations. Its efficiency and reliability dictates not only the rhythm and results of the company’s work, but also the quality of freight and passenger services.”

Yakunin said that current reforms of the locomotive fleet should lead to substantially improved operational efficiency, with a 16% increase in locomotive productivity by 2015. RZD says it currently has more than 13,000 locomotives in use.

Since RZD was founded, locomotive productivity has increased by 10%, Yakunin said. During the past seven years, the company has acquired more than 2,000 new locomotives, and modernized and extended the service life of more than 3,700 locomotives. Substantial funds also have been spent on developing vacation retreats for locomotive crews, as well as rehabilitation centers, and on modernizing and renewing depots.

“Russian Railways is now switching to new principles of partnership with railway equipment producers, harmonized with European standards. These are focused on comprehensive safety parameters, operational readiness, and lifecycle cost of equipment, which will define the company’s technical policies in its relations with workers and producers,” Yakunin said.

For example, the electric passenger locomotive EP20 is being developed at Transmashholding’s Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant, in conjunction with Alstom. Last month, the Sinara Group and Siemens finished work on a test model of a new-generation 2ES10 electric freight locomotive.