BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 14
By Sadraddin Aghjayev - Trend:
Kazakhstan’s Electric Locomotives Assembly Factory (EKZ) plans to open a new workshop for manufacturing traction systems, high voltage cabinets, traction converters and light rail vehicles for export to Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, Beibit Ibrayev, production director at EKZ, told Trend.
According to Ibrayev, the factory reached its full production capacity in 2021 and currently can manufacture up to 100 sections per year.
"These are the production capacities of both freight and passenger locomotives. Today, our plant produces freight and passenger locomotives for Kazakhstan Railways, freight locomotives for Azerbaijan Railways CJSC,” he said. “This year, it’s planned to produce freight and passenger locomotives for the railways of Kazakhstan and complete the delivery of freight locomotives to Azerbaijan under a 2014 contract [envisioning delivery of 40 Prima T8 AZ8A heavy freight locomotives produced in Nur-Sultan by EKZ].”
Besides, according to him, Azerbaijan is the first country where the plant exported its locomotives.
"Along with the production of locomotives, we produce individual components, such as traction transformers. We also plan to organize export of traction systems, high-voltage cabinets and traction converters to plants of French Alstom company," EKZ’s representative noted.
The enterprise plans to master the market of Kazakhstan as much as possible and start production of light rail vehicles for the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, he further said.
"These initiatives are at the development stage. If necessary, we are ready to launch such production in the near future," added Ibrayev.