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A ceremony of handing over the first batch of 2ES7 Black Granite freight two-section electric locomotives manufactured by Sinara Transport Machines Holding (STM, part of the Sinara Group ) to Silkway Transit, the first private railway carrier in the Republic of Kazakhstan took place in the city of Nur-Sultan (Republic of Kazakhstan) on November 18. The first three locomotives were put in operation. The ceremony was attended by Dmitry Pumpyansky, President of Sinara Group, Viktor Lesh, CEO of STM Holding, and Anton Zubikhin, CEO of STM Trading House, Deputy STM General Director for Sales. On behalf of the customer, not only representatives of Silkway Transit but also a Member of Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken" Daniyar Abulgazin took part in the event.
The Kazakh company will receive 22 2ES7 freight electric locomotives manufactured at the Ural Locomotives plant by the end of the next year under the contract signed earlier this year between STM Trading House (part of STM Holding) and Silkway Transit. The color of electric locomotives is in accordance with the corporate colors of Silkway Transit.
According to Dmitry Pumpyansky, President of Sinara Group, one of the distinctive features of the Ural Locomotives plant’s products are their productivity and efficiency. “Electric locomotives 2ES7 are one of our advanced developments and we are exporting them for the first time. Today we have transferred the first three machines and by the end of 2021 another eight locomotives will arrive in Kazakhstan. Moreover, a network for servicing 2ES7 will be deployed in Kazakhstan in the near future. I hope that Black Granites will be able to satisfy all the business goals of our partners and I believe that this delivery will be the first step in our further long-term mutually beneficial cooperation,” commented Dmitry Pumpyansky.
As noted by Daniyar Abulgazin, Member of Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken", the liberalization process of the freight market, initiated by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is already showing some results. “Considering that the bulk of the Kazakhstan locomotive fleet is represented by worn-out equipment, its renewal is a fundamental factor in development of the railway industry. Today we witness a rapid development of the freight market. Quality and safety of the provided services become the main priorities,” emphasized Daniyar Abulgazin.
Before entering commercial operation on the main lines of Kazakhstan, each 2ES7 will undergo an additional trial operation procedure, including 3,000 kilometers of linear run. This optional condition was included in the contract at the request of the customer. The electric locomotives will be used on the heavily loaded sections of Karaganda - Nur-Sultan - Pavlodar and Shekment - Alma-Ata.
25 drivers fr om Kazakhstan took a special training course at the Ural Locomotives in order to organize successful trouble-free run of electric locomotives equipped with the modern high-tech equipment.
Freight two-section AC electric locomotive 2ES7 is designed to provide heavy traffic on AC railway lines in the CIS countries. The Black Granites are equipped with AC traction drive providing high traction force. That is why these locomotives can carry trains with a total weight of up to 9 thousand ton (with maximum power of an electric locomotive of 8.8 MW). Another feature of this rolling stock model range is that 2ES7 is able to overcome limiting ascents and long descents. This provision is essential for Kazakhstan taking into account the geographic conditions of the country and the territory wh ere its railway lies. Moreover, the application of 2ES7 may potentially increase the throughput of their mainline traffic.
STM Holding and Silkway Transit have already cooperated earlier. For instance, four TEM14 shunting diesel locomotives were handed over to the Kazakhstan freight operator this summer. In total, STM has supplied Kazakhstan with 46 diesel locomotives of TEM7A, TEM9, and TEM14 series, over 80 units of track equipment and 246 hopper batchers. The first delivery to the Republic of Kazakhstan took place in 2007.
