French Alstom to supply 50 freight locomotives to Azerbaijan
By Nazrin Gadimova
French Alstom Transport SA Company will supply 50 freight KZ8A locomotives to Azerbaijan Railways CJSC in 2016-2018, Head of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Arif Asgarov told local media.
Asgarov said a total of 11 contracts were signed between the two sides during the Azerbaijani-French business forum held in Baku in May, 2014. Azerbaijan's Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov and President of Alstom Transport SA Henri Poupart-Lafarge signed the documents.
The total amount of the signed contracts is 300 million euros, while Alstom's share stands at around 150 million euros. The contracts may also include the construction of a depot for technical assistance and maintenance affairs, as well as a training center for Azerbaijani Railways' staff.
Alstom also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Azerbaijani company on the reconstruction of the 'May 28' metro station and the second stretch of the 'green' Khatai-Hazi Aslanov-2 branch. The MoU is aimed at developing the modern metro cars of both new lines and gradually replacing the existing fleet of Baku metro. Both parties agreed to sign a final agreement on this issue in the coming two months.
Being a global leader in the manufacturing of equipment for generation and transmission of electrical energy and railway infrastructure, Alstom operates in about 100 countries. The company has been operating actively in Azerbaijan for over 20 years.
KZ8A locomotives rank among the most powerful locomotives in the world (8,800 kW) with asynchronous traction, able to run at 120 km/h and to haul up to 9,000 tons. The modern KZ8A freight locomotives will help increasing the carrying capacity in transportation of raw materials and goods in Azerbaijan.