French Alstom together with Kazakh Railways Temir Zholy (KTZ) and Russian Transmashholding (TMH) set up a joint venture that will supply 295 electric locomotives to the Kazakh railway company.
Earlier this year, the memorandum of cooperation was signed in Almaty. Kazakh Railways confirmed their electric locomotive order for a total of €1.3 billion. Alstom evaluates its share of the contract at approximately €800 million. The contract will take effect March 11, 2011.
According to the first contract, the joint venture going to manufacture for a total of 200 double freights (KZ8A) and 95 passenger locomotives (KZ4A). The double BoBo freight locomotives are among the most powerful in the world (8800 kW). They will be able to tow up to 9000 tons and will be capable of running at 120 km/h.
The passenger locomotives will make it possible – for the 1st time in Kazakhstan – to run train sets at 200 km/h and to reduce the journey time between Almaty and Astana by three hours. Both types of locomotives are designed to operate at temperatures as low as -50°C.
The locomotives manufactured by this joint venture will incorporate technologies developed by Alstom and Transmashholding. They will also include components from the French-Russian consortium and from Alstom’s Belfort factory in France. The production of components will gradually be delocalized to Kazakhstan.
The first freight locomotives will be delivering in 2012, after two years in 2014 the joint venture will make the first passenger locomotive.
The following locomotives will then be built in Astana at a plant the construction of which will starts in the beginning of 2012. The new construction plant is expected to reach its annual production capacity of 50 double (100 sections) in 2016.
Source close to the matter estimated investment into locomotives manufacturing plant construction in “dozens of million U.S. dollars.”
The joint company held equally by the Kazakh Railways with 50 percent and Alstom consortium and TMH with 25 percent stake each.