Ukrzaliznytsia will acquire 130 new freight electric locomotives from the French company "Alstom"
On July 1, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Framework Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the French Republic on official support for the renewal of the fleet of freight electric locomotives of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia.
The agreement provides for the supply of 130 freight electric trains to Alstom. Of these, 80 - two systemic, and another 50 - one systemic.
According to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Ukrzaliznytsia received very favorable credit conditions for itself.
“There is a catastrophic situation with electric traction in Ukraine now. Most of the electric locomotives were manufactured in the 60-80s of the last century, the degree of wear is almost 90%. This has led to the fact that the electric traction park itself is filled only to 60% of the total demand. This agreement is one of the first steps towards a real and not a cosmetic renewal of the fleet of freight locomotives. In general, we are now seeing great interest in such projects from investors from Germany, Switzerland, France and South Korea. The Ukrainian railway market is growing - and this is a chance for international cooperation on the most comfortable conditions, ”says the minister.
Within the framework of the agreement, it is planned to localize production in Ukraine at the level of 35%, which is planned to be fixed in a commercial contract. There will also be localized service by Ukrainian companies and training for Ukrzaliznytsia employees. That is, a significant part of the project financing will remain in Ukraine.