NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan, Feb. 9
By Sadraddin Aghjayev - Trend:
French Alstom company is working with ADY (Azerbaijan Railways) CJSC on railway signaling projects, Alstom’s Managing Director in Western and Central Asia Kanat Alpysbayev said, Trend reports from the solemn delivery ceremony of Prima T8 AZ8A freight locomotives under a contract with Azerbaijan Railways, which is underway in Nur-Sultan.
According to Alpysbayev, the completion of deliveries is an important milestone always marked by Alstom.
"The supply of locomotives to Azerbaijan has particular importance for us, since this is our first export contract in Kazakhstan. Despite all the difficulties that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we, together with Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, were able to complete the implementation of this important project,” he said. “These locomotives play a key role in increasing the capacity of freight traffic in Azerbaijan and also contribute to the implementation of ambitious goals to increase the transit potential of the Trans-Caspian railway corridor.”
“We are working on the further development of our close partnership with Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, including the organization of service maintenance for the locomotive fleet and the implementation of railway signaling projects,” added the managing director.
In 2014, ADY signed a contract with Alstom for delivery of 50 electric locomotives worth 288 million euro, including 40 Prima T8 AZ8A heavy freight locomotives produced in Nur-Sultan by EKZ, Alstom’s joint venture, and 10 Prima M4 AZ4A passenger locomotives which are produced in French Belfort city and have already been delivered to Azerbaijan.
Alstom’s Prima T8 is one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world. This model is a two-section freight locomotive with load of 25 tons per axle, capable of towing up to 9,000 tons and running at 120 km/h, with installed continuous power of 8.8 Megawatts. The Prima T8 AZ8A is designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -25°C to 50°C. It requires minimum maintenance and provides high reliability levels and low lifecycle costs thanks to its modular design.
Alstom’s Prima range is covering all market segments of locomotives from heavy-haul, freight and passenger operation and shunting or track-work operation. Over the past 20 years, more than 3,200 Prima locomotives (more than 4,600 sections) have been sold worldwide.