United Wagon Company and Bodi International, a Mongolian finance, infrastructure and mining company, signed a contract for the supply of 810 high-capacity gondola cars. The first batch of 100 wagons will be delivered to Mongolia in 2021. The freight cars will be used to transport coal from one of the world’s largest deposits, Tavan Tolgoi (Mongolia), to China.
For the first time in the history of the Russian railcar building industry, its rolling stock equipped with 25 tonne – axle load bogies will be operated on the Mongolian railway network. Entry into the Mongolian rail transport market will not only diversify the sales geography and contribute to keeping UWC’s production facilities busy but will also help reduce the company’s dependence on fluctuations in demand for gondola cars in the Russian domestic market.
UWC will deliver the 12-9853 gondola cars manufactured by Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant, part of UWC.
The conventional gondola car, the model 12-9853, was developed by the All-Union Research and Development Centre for Transport Technology, a member entity of the Group. The gondola car has a load capacity of 75 tonnes and a body volume of 92 m3. It can carry cargoes within a wide range of densities and is able to accommodate up to 10% more freight compared with similar cars available on the market.
A significant competitive advantage of the high-capacity gondola cars is that they are equipped with 18-9855 bogies with an axle load of 25 tonnes. The use of innovative running gear improves the operational reliability of the car, significantly extends its maintenance interval and reduces the car’s life-cycle costs. The service life of the gondola car is 32 years.
Six companies including Chinese manufacturers submitted their bids to deliver Mongolia new freight cars.
Mongolia’s railway shipments increased by 7.3% to 27.5 million tonnes in the first eleven months of this year compared to the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Committee. The growth was attributed to increased export shipments, particularly to China, and a rise in transit traffic. Industry experts believe investments currently channelled into the development of coal and iron ore deposits in Mongolia to spur the development of railway projects in the medium term, including those related to procurement of freight rolling stock.
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