Kazakh Railways and Alstom expand partnership with new type of locomotive

Kazakh Railways (KTZ) signed an agreement with French locomotive manufacturer Alstom for the production of a new type of electric locomotive for rail freight transport. The new vehicles will be equipped with “asynchronous traction motors – KZ6A” and will replace the VL-80 locomotives used in the country, which were built in 1980.

Asynchronous traction motors use copper in the rotor design, leading to lower losses given its superior conductivity. This, KTZ claims, should reduce energy consumption by 20 per cent. Moreover, the company stated that the new locomotives are 40 per cent cheaper than the ones they are replacing. This deal was signed in Paris during the state visit of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to France, with French President Emmanuel Macron also present.

KTZ-Alstom partnership

This is not the first cooperation between Kazakhstan and Alstom. Other than deals signed in 2019 and 2022, the two companies recently agreed on building four locomotive maintenance centres in the Central Asian country. The total investment revolves around 50 million euros and the first site, located in the city of Shu near the border with Kyrgyzstan, shall be ready by early 2025.

European Silk Road Summit 2024

Asia – Europe rail freight is one of the key topics to be discussed at the European Silk Road Summit 2024, taking place in Vienna on 27-28 November.

Registrations for the yearly event are already open, while the programme, which this year highlights the fast-recovering China-Europe rail market, is shaping up.