BELARUS: A contract for the supply of 15 Type BKG2 mixed-traffic AC electric locomotives has been signed by Belarusian Railway, China National Electric Import & Export Corp and manufacturer CRRC Datong.
The €64·3m contract agreed on December 29 is being financed by Exim Bank of China. The locomotives are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2023.
Belarusian Railways has previously purchased 30 freight locomotives from CRRC Datong, ordering 12 BKG1 twin-section Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo locomotives and 18 BKG2 Co-Co locos.
The latest order is for an updated version of the BKG2 suitable for hauling both freight and passenger trains.
‘Thanks to our joint contribution to the development of infrastructure and rolling stock, we ensure smooth freight traffic on the China – Europe corridor’, said CEO of Belarusian Railway Vladimir Morozov after the contract was signed. ‘The growth is significant; in 2015 the volume of container transport was 59 900 TEU, and in 2020 it amounts 540 000 TEU.’
