Laude Smart orders additional 200 freight cars from UWC

Polish operator Laude Smart Intermodal SA has ordered an additional 200 flat cars from Russian freight car producer United Wagon Company (UWC).

The additional flat cars on 25 tonne axle load bogies will be used tor the transport of heavy-duty containers along the Russia-Poland transport corridor.

The batch of flat cars is set to be delivered by the end of May 2020. Following the agreement, the number of contracted Tikhvin-produced cars in the Laude Smart fleet will rise to 841 units, 641 of which are model 13-6851-01 flat cars for use in the 1,520mm track gauge space, with 200 Sgmmns flat cars for the 1,435mm track gauge.

The model 13-6851-01 flat car, measuring 40 feet in length, is designed for the transportation of heavy-duty containers and tank containers carrying non-hazardous freight with a gross weight of up to 40 tonnes. It has a loading capacity of 80 tonnes and maximum tare weight of 20 tonnes. The reinforced design of the frame and the container locks allow for the transportation of containers with a gross weight of up to 40 tonnes, providing an additional competitive advantage over its widely-used market competitors.

This model flat car has a service life of 40 years. The increased operational reliability of the rolling stock, ensured partly thanks to the fact that the cars are equipped with model 18-9855 bogies with a 25 tonne axle load, has made it possible to increase the maintenance interval up to one million kilometres (or eight years), reducing operational costs over the car’s life-cycle almost threefold.

Marcin Witzchak, CEO at Laude Smart Intermodal SA, commented “I am certain that our market position depends on choosing the right supplier for our cars. The operational reliability and improved technical specifications of the UWC cars give us significant advantages over our competitors.”