A Chinese locomotive is expected to arrive in Ukraine for testing in June, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Viktor Dovhan told the CFTS portal.
According to Dovhan, creation of a joint venture based on one of the Ukrzaliznytsia public railway company’s plants is being discussed with Chinese partners within the framework of upgrade of Ukrzaliznytsia’s rolling stock.
“These are specifically electric locomotives. Ukrzaliznytsia is currently developing an investment plan for diesel locomotives with General Electric. Therefore, with China, it is about modernization of electric locomotives. They see it as provision of credit resources by the Eximbank of China to enable Ukrzaliznytsia to purchase locomotives, but we see it as creation of a joint venture with 10-60% localization in Ukraine at Ukrzaliznytsia’s plants. For this, a team of experts from China will visit Kyiv [in June], when a test locomotive will arrive from Belarus. They have already seen almost all the plants of Ukrzaliznytsia. They are now working on a concrete investment project," Dovhan said.
According to the deputy minister, "there is great initiative and interest" from the Chinese side. Ukrzaliznytsia’s Board Chairman Wojciech Balczun has already visited China with his team, and new meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ukrzaliznytsia are now planned.
Belarusian Railways signed a contract with the Datun Electric Locomotive Plant (China) for purchase of 18 BCG-2 (BKG-2) single-unit cargo electric locomotives with a capacity of 7,200 kW in December 2016. Before that, BCG-1 12 dual-unit electric locomotives with a capacity of 9,600 kW were in operation in Belarus for four years.
An electric locomotive from the Datun plant will most likely be sent to Ukrzaliznytsia for tests.
