The Chinese rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Datong has decided not to deliver 15 BKG2 electric locomotives ordered by Belarusian Railway several years ago.
As the CFTS portal reported, citing the publication Railway Gazette, this decision is a result of sanctions imposed by the US and the EU in response to the Belarusian government's support for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The BKG2 single-section AC electric freight locomotive is based on the Chinese HXD2, which France and China jointly developed using European and American components, including traction motors, converters, power transformers, and diagnostic and monitoring systems.
Delivery of the BKG2 locomotives, ordered in December 2021 for EUR 64.3 million, has already been postponed to 2025-2026 in the hope that alternative components could be found, but this has proved impractical.
As a result, Belarus is now considering ordering Russian locomotives instead of Chinese ones.
Belarusian Railway has purchased 30 freight locomotives from China over the past 10 years.
