Ukrainian Railways has put into commercial services the first of the 30 Evolution Series locomotives from GE Transportation.
Acting Ukrainian Railways CEO Yevgen Kravtsov said that the “launch of GE locomotives onto the Ukrainian Railways network is a great demonstration of the successful start of our long-term cooperation with our American partners. The delivery timeline remains on-schedule, and on our side we are fully prepared to operate and maintain the locomotives. We are planning to continue our cooperation program with GE in 2019.”
The TE33A locomotives for Ukraine will haul grain, ore, and metals products throughout the country’s industrial and agricultural heartland, as well as to key ports along the Black Sea coast. Most of production is being carried out at a GE Transportation facility in the United States, with certain final work localized at the Kryukov Railway Car Building Works in Kremenchuk. Ultimately, GE Transportation aims to increase localization in the follow-on phases of the project, helping further bolster local job creation in the country.
The locomotives are designed for wider temperature and operating conditions of the 1520mm-gauge rail space, featuring a 12-cylinder, 4,500-horsepower Evolution-series engine with EU3A emissions-level compliance, delivering high power output, enhanced productivity, greater flexibility, lower lifecycle costs, and improved reliability in heavy-haul operations.
Compared to the legacy Ukrainian fleet, the TE33A can significantly reduce harmful emissions, economize on fuel and oil costs, and increase time between maintenance overhauls. Over 300 TE33A locomotives are already in operation in half a dozen countries across the 1520mm rail space.
In the first quarter of 2018, Ukrainian Railways awarded GE Transportation a contract for the supply of 30 locomotives as part of a long-term framework agreement between GE Transportation and Ukrainian Railways. Under the agreement, the companies also will explore additional new locomotives over 10 years, the rehabilitation of existing locomotives, and long-term maintenance services.
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