New locos from around the world working in central Asia
THE former Soviet Republics of Central Asia have been modernising their rail network and locomotive fleets in the 30 years since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
All started with a similar selection of standard Soviet Railways locos, such as ‘VL80’ Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo 25kV AC electrics, Czech-built ‘ChME3’ Co-Cos, Russian-built ‘TEM2’ Co-Cos and main line diesels of the ‘2TE10’, ‘TEP70’ and ‘2M62’ designs.
Since the 1990s the newly independent countries, which are all members of the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and are known collectively in the west as ‘the Stans’ (because the country names tend to end in ‘stan’), have taken different approaches in modernising their railways.
Joint ventures
Kazakhstan, the biggest of the ‘stans’ in size and economic output, has encouraged rolling stock production within the country and several large rail manufacturers have set up joint venture production plants.
American loco builder GE (now part of Wabtec) set up a loco factory in the Kazak capital, then called Astana (now renamed Nur-Sultan) in 2008 to build the ‘TE33A’ six axle 4,500HP/3,356 kW diesel loco designated ES44ACi by GE designed for the former CIS countries using the 12-cylinder GEVO engine used widely in North America.
A total of 310 were ordered for Kazakhstan’s national rail company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) in 2006; 15 of the first 16 were built at GE’s factory in Erie, Pennsylvania, but from 2009 deliveries came from the new Kazak factory and others have been built there for export to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, plus small numbers for Ukraine and Mongolia.
Modernising
KTZ has also invested in more than 600 Talgo coaches to modernise its passenger fleet for domestic services in Kazakhstan, while KTZ jointly with Talgo manufactured them in Astana – although production ended in 2019 as Russian-designed coaches are now being built instead. Talgo has also delivered four 250kph high speed trains, based on the Spanish Class 130 ‘Alvia’ design, to neighbouring Uzbekistan where they are used to operate ‘Afrosiyob’ services from Tashkent on rebuilt lines at up to 230kph. Two more trains are due to be delivered this year.
Alstom agreed a contract in 2010 to supply Kazakhstan with 295 new 25kV AC locos based on its ‘Prima’ design, as used widely in France and Morocco.
Alstom was working with its Russian partner, Transmashholding (which it part owns), and set up a new factory near Astana, located near both the Talgo and GE joint venture factories in 2010.
French-built
The new EKZ factory initially built Class KZ8A Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo ‘Prima T8’ 8,800kW freight locos, 200 of which had been ordered, assembling kits made in France.
The first 10 locos were built in France at Belfort, with later examples assembled at the EKZ factory. Since 2017 Alstom has owned 75% of the EKZ factory and the overall KTZ order has been increased to 421 locos,
302 of which are the Class KZ8A double electrics; by early 2020, 53 Class KZ8A locos had been delivered.
A total of 95 passenger locos designated Class KZ4AT (Alstom Prima M4) were also part of the order, now increased to 119 locos. The first 20 ‘KZ4AT’ 200kph locos were built in Belfort between 2013 and 2016, and local production of the type began at the EKZ plant in 2019.
Alstom is also building locos for export to neighbouring countries at the EKZ factory, with 40 of the ‘Prima T8’ double electric locos designated Class AZ8A for Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) part way through delivery, plus 10 passenger locomotives based on the KTZ Class KZ4AT, designated as ADY Class AZ4A; the first of these was built at Belfort in 2017.
Some of the Class AZ4A will be used to operate future trains on the Baku – Tbilisi (Georgia) – Kars (Ankara, Turkey route) with a fleet of high specification ADYowned passenger coaches built in Switzerland by Stadler. ADY has also ordered six Flirt EMUs and four DMUs from Stadler, to be delivered from 2022.
Chinese locos
Chinese rail engineering firm CRRC has supplied locos to several CIS countries. In Kazakhstan KTZ has a 27-strong fleet of 4,800kW Class KZ4AC four-axle 25kV AC passenger locos which incorporate Siemens-made traction equipment, based on that used in European ‘Eurosprinter’ designs. These were built between 2004 and 2010 by Zhuzhou Locomotive Works. Like the more modern Alstom Class KZ4AT, they are designed for 200kph operation but currently limited by line speeds to 160kph. In neighbouring Uzbekistan CRRC has supplied a six-axle version of the KTZ Class KZ4AC, also with Siemens traction equipment. The 15 Uzbek Railways (UTY) Class O’Z-Y locos were built at Zhuzhou in 2009/10. CRRC also supplied 11 Class O’Z ELR electric Co-Co freight locos in 2013. CRRC has also built diesel locos for several countries, delivering six-axle Class CKD9A 3,680kW passenger locos equipped with Chinese 16V280ZJA diesel engines to Turkmenistan along with the 2,430kW (16V240ZJB engine) Class CKD9C freight version, also sold to KTZ. The 990kW CKD6E heavy shunting/ trip loco has been sold to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan; this is equipped with a 6240ZJ engine.