UKRAINE: Alstom is on course to supply up to 130 electric freight locomotives to national railway Ukrzaliznytsia under one of four framework agreements signed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and France’s Minister of the Economy, Finance & Recovery Bruno Le Maire in Kyiv on May 13.
UZ said Alstom plans to offer its Prima T8 design, which has a maximum speed of 120 km/h and is able to haul up to 9 000 tonnes. Alstom has previously supplied 1 520 mm gauge Prima T8 locomotives to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
An order for 130 locomotives could be worth up to €900m. There would be 35% local production, ‘which is fully in line with our strategy for the development of national production’, Shmyhal emphasised.
UZ welcomed the signing of the agreement, explaining that it needed to acquire at least 50 electric freight locomotives by 2025, and a further 265 by 2033.
The railway said the agreement with France confirmed government-level support for its fleet renewal project, adding that it was a clear signal that decisive steps were been taking to meet its urgent needs, develop the country’s economic potential and strengthen its position in the transit market. ‘Thousands of railway workers welcome the government’s decision to sign the framework agreement’, said Acting Chairman Ivan Yuryk.
Le Maire explained during the signing that France saw significant economic opportunities in Ukraine. The other three agreements signed by the governments covered fire rescue equipment and water supply improvements in Luhansk and Kyiv.
