Alstom to deliver 130 freight locomotives to Ukraine
French train builder Alstom will supply 130 electric locomotives to the Ukrainian Railway. 35 per cent of their components will be manufactured in Ukraine. The vehicles will enhance rail freight transport in the country.
After several years of negotiations, Alstom is getting closer to concluding a big deal with Ukrainian Railway. On Thursday, 13 May, the governments of France and Ukraine signed four framework agreements including the one that is dedicated to the rail sector. According to it, the French rolling stock manufacturer will deliver 130 electric freight locomotives to the Ukrainian Railway (UZ). They will be produced with the level of localisation at 35 per cent. The agreement is estimated at around 900 million euros.
Demand for electric locos
UZ has a serious lack of electric freight locomotives. Its existing fleet is extremely outdated. Therefore, the French company and other manufacturers can look forward to other deals with the Ukrainian Railway. According to the company’s plan, it will intend to purchase at least 50 freight electric locomotives by 2025 and 265 units by 2033.
Prima locomotives
Alstom is most likely to offer the Ukrainian Railway its freight locomotives of type Prima T8, which are able to haul 9,000-tonne trains at a speed of up to 120 kilometres per hour. The French company has a positive experience in the post-Soviet market. Its freight vehicles have been operating by Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) since 2013. Moreover, Alstom even established a manufacturing facility in that country. As of today, KTZ is operating more than 60 Prima freight electric locos. In 2018 the Kazakhstan-manufacture Prima vehicles were put into operation in Azerbaijan.