Wabtec, Kazakh railways sign $600mn battery, LNG MoU
New York-listed Wabtec and state-owned railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) have signed a $600mn memorandum of understanding for battery-electric shunters and conversion of mainline fleet into LNG locomotives, Wabtec said on September 20.
Wabtec’s FLXdrive shunters will be 100% battery powered with more than 1.5 MW hours of energy. These new shunters are a zero-emission solution for KTZ, enabling the railroad to reduce the fuel cost of its yard operations by approximately $75,000/shunter/year, the company said. The FLXdrives also will reduce scheduled maintenance by up to 97% and avoid costly electrification investments.
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Wabtec will provide NextFuel kits to convert the traditional diesel locomotives to LNG. The NextFuel LNG mainline locomotives will increase the operational range of travel by more than two-fold – from 1,300 km to 3,000 km and decrease fuel costs by up to 26%.
Wabtec and KTZ also will collaborate on digital solutions for the fleet. Wabtec will build the FLXdrives and convert the locomotives to LNG at the LKZ facility in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. Production will begin in 2024.