Baku Metro to renovate car fleet
By Nazrin Gadimova
Baku Metro CJSC is planning to completely renovate its car fleet by replacing the current cars manufactured in Russia, CJSC said.
"Disruptions of the existing vehicles become more frequent recently. This is mainly due to the fact that their lifetime has expired," the company added.
The renovation will be carried out as part an agreement signed with Alstom International Company during a visit of the French President François Hollande to Azerbaijan. Alstom will provide the metro with new and modern cars, according to CJSC.
"Within the next three months a delivery contract will be signed with the Alstom International. Now works to determine the amount of required wagons is underway," the company said.
After the renovation of cars, the old rails would be modernized too.
Moreover, Alstom International will supply freight locomotives for Azerbaijan's railways. The relevant agreement on supplying 50 freight locomotives of KZ8A model was signed at the Azerbaijani-French joint business forum on May 12.
Alstom also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the reconstruction of the 'May 28' metro station and the second stretch of the 'green' Khatai-Hazi Aslanov-2 branch, aimed at developing modern metro cars for both new lines and gradually replacing the existing fleet of Baku metro. Both parties agreed to sign a final agreement in the coming two months.
Being a global leader in the manufacture of equipment for generation and transmission of electrical energy and railway infrastructure, Alstom operates in the markets of about 100 countries. The company has been operating actively in the Azerbaijani market for over 20 years.