UKRAINE: France and Ukraine have finalised financing agreements for Alstom to supply 130 electric freight locomotives to national railway Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced during a joint press conference when his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron visited Kyiv on February 8.
Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said ‘this is not just an agreement on the supply of locomotives, this is Ukraine’s integration into the economic system and transport network of the European Union’.
The French treasury and a consortium of banks will provide 14-year loan covering 85% of the €900m value of the locomotive contract, with Ukraine making an advance payment of the remaining 15%.
Ukrzaliznytsia Chairman Oleksandr Kamyshin and Alstom Chairman & CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge also signed a memorandum of understanding during the visit.
The planned order for 50 25 kV 50 Hz and 80 dual-system 25 kV 50 Hz/3 kV DC 1 520 mm gauge Prima T8 locos order forms one of four inter-governmental framework agreements worth €1·3bn which were signed in May 2021 following three years of discussions and ratified by the Ukrainian parliament last July.
The delivery terms included 35% localisation in Ukraine. ‘The use of Ukrainian companies and specialists will bring a unique experience to Ukraine’, said Kamyshin. ‘There is still a lot of work to be done to discuss technical details, but most of the negotiations are behind us.’
