French Alstom to supply 50 freight locomotives to Azerbaijan
By Nigar Abbasova
French company Alstom is expected to supply its electric locomotives to Azerbaijan in 2017.
Alstom will supply 50 electric locomotives with 40 being freight and 10 – passenger. The locomotives will be brought to the country under the project being realized by Azerbaijan Railways, Zaura Rakhmedova, Alstrom communication manager told Trend.
“Freight locomotives will be manufactured in the production area located in Astana, Kazakhstan while passenger locomotives will be produced in France,” Rakhmedova said.
The AZ8A electric locomotives with the capacity to pull up to 9,000 metric tons at a speed of 120 km per hour are considered to be one of the most powerful in the world. The locomotives will be manufactured specifically for Azerbaijan. New locomotives will give an impetus for increasing the transportation capacity of the company.
Azerbaijan Railways LTD and Alstorm Company signed a contract on the supply of 50 freight locomotives in 2014 while the final agreement was reached in May 2015. The total amount of the contract is 300 million euros.
Initially it was planned that Azerbaijan would receive Alstom locomotives in late 2016. The time for delivery was extended due to some changes in the agreement terms. “Originally, supply of 50 freight locomotives was scheduled for 2016, later Azerbaijan changed some details of the agreement,” Rakhmetova said.
Azerbaijan Railways launched a long-term program for the sustainable renovation and modernization of its railways in 2006. The program included reconstruction of infrastructure and gradual switch from direct current to alternating current as well as gradual replacement of obsolete trains running on existing lines.
Alstom is also cooperating with Baku Metro. The company has delivered 3 new metro train sets to Baku Metro, in accordance with a contract signed in 2014. The train sets, consisting of 5 cars each, were commissioned for passenger service in May 2015.
With its headquarters in France Alstom company operates in over 60 countries all over the world. The company develops wide range of systems, equipment and services in the railway sector. Currently the company is a world leader in integrated railway systems.
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