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Belarusian Railway buys two Chinese railway engines

16 May 2012

BARANOVICHI (BelTA) – Bought by the Belarusian Railway, two powerful electric locomotives BCG1 have been delivered from China to the Belarusian town of Baranovichi, BelTA has learned.

Vladimir Ozhigin, Head of the Locomotive Service of the Belarusian Railway, told media one BCG1 locomotive packs about 13,000hp or 9,600kW, 47% up from the VL80c locomotives used in Belarus. The new locomotives can pull freight trains weighing up to 9,000 tonnes. They will improve transit capabilities of the Belarusian Railway, expanding the throughput of the Belarusian railway system and reducing maintenance costs. The new locomotives boast a design speed of 120kmh, 20kmh more than that of VL80c locomotives. A BCG1 locomotive can be operated by one man but two will be employed for the near future.

Manufactured by CNR Datong Electric Locomotive for the Belarusian Railway, the electric locomotives will be serviced under the guarantee by Chinese specialists. According to Vladimir Ozhigin, the maintenance cost of the new locomotives will be 1.4 times less than that of existing electric locomotives.

One electric locomotive costs $8.3 million. A contract for the delivery of 12 locomotives worth a total of $100 million has been signed. As much as 85% of the money has been lent by the Chins Export and Import Bank at a small interest rate.

There are minor differences between the electric locomotives used in China and the ones the Belarusian Railway has bought. The imports have been designed to be operated by two men. Brakes have been adjusted to match Belarusian requirements. Electric locomotives like BCG1 have been used in China for five years already to major satisfaction.