Alstom and Kazakhstan Railways sign cooperation agreement

(L-R) Nurlan Sauranbayev, CEO of KTZ and Andrew DeLeone, President of Alstom in Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. - Credit: Alstom

Alstom and Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) have signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement was signed by Andrew DeLeone, President of Alstom in Africa, Middle East and Central Asia and Nurlan Sauranbayev, CEO of KTZ.

The cooperation agreement between Alstom and Kazakhstan Railways

The agreement reinforces the cooperation between the two companies for the renewal of KTZ’s locomotive fleet and maintenance support, which includes the next generation locomotive KZ8A(NG). To date, 90 freight and 39 passenger locomotives are in commercial operation with 160 freight and 80 passenger locomotives to be produced and delivered for KTZ. Both parties agreed to join efforts to grow capacity and rail know-how within the supply base in the country to increase localisation rates. Over the last 12 years, Alstom has developed a strong supplier base with over 340 local partners and plans to expand this base further and increase localisation rates.

Alstom and KTZ agreed to diversify their partnership and create an interlocking centre of excellence in Kazakhstan with the goal of establishing EBI Lock 950 product (signalling) expertise in the country. Alstom is taking a considerable step towards the rail of tomorrow and is a vital player in the framework of sustainable development. Additionally, Alstom will work with KTZ on implementing low emission rail technologies with a focus on hydrogen and battery trains to reduce transport related emissions in the country.

“Alstom’s work in Kazakhstan goes beyond addressing the immediate transportation needs of the country to support KTZ, as they build a strong and sustainable rail industry,” Andrew DeLeone, President of Alstom in Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia, said. “We see a growing future in Kazakhstan, one with increased localisation, a larger and diverse employee base and new export opportunities. We remain committed to being a major contributor to the revitalisation of the country’s rail industry and the development of its economy.”

Alstom and Kazakhstan

Alstom in Kazakhstan employs over 1,000 people and has four service sites and two production plants. One plant is EKZ in Astana for freight and passenger electric locomotives and production of on-board transformers and bogies, and the second is KEP in Almaty to produce point machines to serve the rail network in the country. Alstom is a major contributor to the revitalisation of the country’s mobility industry and the development of its economy.

The solutions selected have a considerable impact on the day to day lives of Kazakh residents and are an integral part of the modernisation of the country’s rail network. In addition to being faster, offering more capacity and high availability rates, the components for the 250 freight and 119 passenger Prima locomotives are 97 per cent recyclable.