Baku, Azerbaijan, June 27
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
The first electric freight locomotive T8 AZ8A built by Alstom for Azerbaijan Railways Company (ARW), will contribute to the development of transport communication between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the Managing Director of the Western and Central Asia Cluster in Alstom Bernard Pell said June 27, during presentation of the locomotive.
Alstom presented its first electric freight locomotive Prima T8 AZ8A for the ARW Company. The presentation of the locomotive was held at the Electric Locomotives Assemblage Factory (EKZ), located on the territory of the "Astana" special economic zone.
"We are proud of the close cooperation between Alstom and Azerbaijan Railways, which resulted in the production of the very first freight locomotive at the Kazakhstan Alstom plant for Azerbaijan. With a road length of about 3,000 km, Azerbaijan's railway system is an important link and will play a key role in the region's transport cooperation," Pell said.
The first AZ8A locomotive became a part of the contract signed by EKZ with "Azerbaijan Railways" in 2014 for the supply of 50 locomotives, including 10 passenger locomotives Prima M4 AZ4A. AZ8A is a heavy-duty freight locomotive from the Prima T8 series, which is based on the KZ8A locomotive, currently operated in Kazakhstan. AZ8A is designed for operation at temperatures from -25 to 50 degrees Celsius.
The locomotive is designed according to the specific technical requirements provided by the ARW Company, and also meets the GOST and TU standards. Prima T8 is one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world.
The model consists of two sections, is able to pull a train weighing up to 9,000 tons and reach a speed of 120 km/h.
