SOUTH AFRICA: Rolls-Royce has announced a major order valued ‘in the range of €100m’ for its MTU business to supply CNR Dalian and its South African business CNRRSSA with 232 engines for use on locomotives ordered by Transnet Freight Rail.
The Type 20V 4000 R63L engine is a variant of the Series 4000 R43/R53 uprated to 3 300 kW, making it the most powerful MTU locomotive engine. ‘Winning this order signals our breakthrough into the market for Chinese freight locomotives, which are being exported in ever larger quantities’, said Dr Michael Haidinger, CSO at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, on January 26.
Delivery of the engines to CNR is scheduled for 2015-17. The first 20 will be produced at Friedrichshafen in Germany and supplied directly to CNR, with the remaining engines to be delivered to MTU South Africa for final assembly.
Transnet announced the 'largest loco supply contract in South Africa's history' in March 2014, covering a total of total of 1 064 locomotives to be supplied by CNR Rolling Stock (232), GE Transportation (233), CSR Zhuzhou (359) and Bombardier (240).
