Turkey’s private rail sector takes its first steps

Korfez Ulastirma A.S., a subsidiary of Turkey’s largest refinery Tüpraş, has become the first transportation company since the privatization of the rail transport sector to order domestically-made locomotives. The deal , announced on September 19 at InnoTrans 2018, will contract GE Transportation to produce five diesel-electric locomotives for the company and comes after the Turkish government began issuing licenses to use Turkey’s mainlines one year ago.

The agreement includes GE Transportation’s PowerHaul® series locomotives, which are European Standards compliant and provide world-class fuel economy. Korfez Ulastirma A.S. currently leases five PowerHaul locomotives that GE previously supplied to the Turkish State Railways and will now double its fleet through this purchase.

“As our operations grow, the ability to move faster and more efficiently is key to transporting products between Tupras refineries,” Tufan Basarir, Korfez’s General Manager, said. “We’re excited to supplement the strength of our fleet with the proven performance of these locomotives.”

The locomotives, like the five that Korfez Ulastirma A.S. already leases, will be built in Eskisehir by TULOMSAS, GE’s strategic part- ner in Turkey, which also makes GE’s PowerHaul locomotives for the European, Middle Eastern and North African markets. Under the agreement, GE will provide leading technology and design while TULOMSAS will supply local manufacturing, assembly and final testing.

“We are honored to expand our strong presence in Turkey and become the preferred locomotive supplier to both state-owned and private operators,” Gokhan Bayhan, GE Transportation’s General Manager for the Russia/CIS, Europe, Middle East and North African markets, said. “This agreement represents a significant milestone to support a dynamic, growing market and we are proud to contribute to Turkey’s railways industry development goals with our technologies and experience.”

The PowerHaul series is a top-performing mid-weight locomotive, compliant with EU Stage IIIa emissions and TSI interoperability standards. It is equipped with a technologically advanced 16-cylinder, 3,700 HP GE PowerHaul P616 engine with common-rail fuel injection.

The locomotive can achieve maximum power output while providing an 18-percent reduction in fuel consumption. It also has improved reliability individual axle-control.