BELARUS: Chinese manufacturer CRRC Datong has decided not to deliver 15 BKG2 electric locos ordered by Belarus Railway. The decision is a result of sanctions imposed by the US and 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 China’s HXD2, which was a joint French-Chinese development using European and American components including traction motors, converters, power transformers and diagnostic and monitoring systems.
Delivery of the BKG2 locos ordered for €64·3m in December 2021 had already been postponed to 2025-26 in the hope that alternative components could be found, but this has proved impractical.
Belarusian media reports that the national railway is now considering ordering Russian-made locomotives.
