Azerbaijan Railways: Negotiations underway to purchase Wabtec diesel locomotives in Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan Railways CJSC is negotiating the purchase of 7 TE33AC mainline diesel locomotives of the Evolution series produced in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Railways told Report.

“In order to update and modernize the locomotive fleet, Azerbaijan Railways is negotiating the purchase of 7 TE33AC mainline diesel locomotives of the Evolution series, manufactured at the plant of the American corporation Wabtec in Kazakhstan,” the company said.

The Wabtec Corporation organized the production of locomotives at the Locomotive Kurastyru Zauyty plant (LKZ, JSC Lokomotiv) in Astana. LKZ was put into operation in February 2010 and produces the TE33А Evolution diesel freight locomotive, specially designed for 1520 mm gauge railways, and its TEP33А passenger version.

This is not the first cooperation between Azerbaijan Railways and Kazakhstan. Eight years ago, Azerbaijan Railways purchased a diesel locomotive of the TE33A Evolution version from Kazakhstan. The first of these diesel locomotives was brought into the country in 2015 by the first container train that arrived in Azerbaijan from China.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2022, 29 railway locomotives worth $136.172 million were imported to Azerbaijan. Twenty-one of them (for $135.133 million) were supplied from Kazakhstan. In addition, 6 locomotives were purchased from Russia for $750,000, and 2 locomotives were bought in Ireland for $288,600.