Following the country’s national interests, the TEXOL Group, one of the major players in the freight transportation market, is developing large-scale, hi-tech wagon production in Atyrau, striving for the maximum localisation level. The company’s speed of launching the rolling stock designed in-house is very impressive. In 2024, the first gondola cars and container flatcars rolled off the Atyrau Freight Car Building Plant’s (AVSZ) assembly lines, and in 2025, the plant enters the market with its tank cars, designed by Texol’s own engineering centre (KazTsTT) and having the best metal consumption rate in the industry.
Today, the Kazakh manufacturer continues working on a variety of innovative solutions with a focus on the needs of freight operators on the 1,520 mm gauge network.
Published in the almanac “Rolling Stock Markets. Kazakhstan” for the TransLogistica Kazakhstan transport and logistics exhibition
Universal solution for LPG transportation
In 2025, AWF’s launching its first tank cars has become one of the most prominent events in the freight car building industry. One of the wagons, the 15-3234 tank car, features an advanced frameless design and can transport all kinds of liquefied petroleum gases. In the 1,520 mm gauge market, this is the first LPG wagon with a tank volume of 88 m³, which allows for transportation of more products, without change of the train length.
The wagon is equipped with AVSZ’s own 23.5 tf 18-6786 bogies, which ensure stable running and a long service life. Designed for a speed of 120 km/h, it has a payload of 58 t with the tare weight of 32 t. The tank’s operational pressure is 1.95 MPa, the nominal amounts to 2.15 MPa, while the hydraulic tests are conducted at 2.8 MPa. Such a safety margin guarantees high reliability for gas transportation.
The 15-3234 wagon has a length over buffers of 12.02 m and a wheelbase of 7.8 m. For comfortable operation, the tank car is fitted with top filling and discharge fittings, two nozzles and two outer ladders. The whole equipment is compatible with the infrastructure on the 1,520 mm gauge network. The SA-3 couplers installed on the wagon are reinforced with brackets to prevent vertical disengagement, which additionally enhances the safety of operations. The service life of the tank car is 40 years.
The sky is the limit
AVSZ’s 15-3237 tank car for petroleum products has been the first on the 1,520 mm gauge network to reach a payload of 70 t, preserving a standard axle load of 23.5 tf. This is around 4% higher than comparable vehicles’ capacity in the market. The result has been achieved by increasing the tank volume to 90 m3 and reducing the tare weight to 24 t, which enforces the model’s operational efficiency in comparison with its counterparts.
The frameless wagons have tanks of the bent-axis type. The design solution provides for reducing a metal consumption rate along with ensuring safety and easier maintenance. The tank cars are fitted with AVSZ’s 18-6786 bogies, which allow for the required running characteristics and stable performance even taking into account intensive exploitation.
The wagon with a length over buffers of 12.02 m and a wheelbase of 7.8 m features two outer and one inner ladder. The permitted temperature of loaded commodities is up to +50°C. The vehicle is designed to operate at 120 km/h and has a service life of 32 years. Thus, the customers can leverage the 15-3237 wagon’s enhanced efficiency and reliability to adjust their expenses on petroleum products transportation.
AVSZ is the first car-building plant in Kazakhstan which has full-cycle manufacturing of tank cars. The two newly designed models are now undergoing testing to receive certification, while the Atyrau facility is actively preparing for launching the wagons’ serial production from early 2026. The Kazakh manufacturer plans to assemble up to 300 tank cars in 2026 and 1,000 such vehicles in 2027.
Multi-purpose wagon with high capacity
Since this year, the 12-6785 gondola car has been serially produced at the Atyrau plant. The wagon has a payload of 69.5 t and a body volume of 88 m3, allowing for transportation of large amounts of goods and reducing logistics expenses. The attractive loading capacity combined with good durable properties makes the model highly demanded in mining, building and agricultural sectors.
The 12-6785 gondola car produced by AVSZ. Source: TEXOL
The gondola car is also fitted with the 18-6786 bogies. It has a length over buffers of 13.92 m and a wheelbase of 8.65 m. The unloading process is essentially facilitated thanks to 14 hatches with optimal opening angles. With a design speed of 120 km/h, the wagon is supposed to serve for 22 years.
Modern approach to container transportation
The 13-6792 container flatcar from AVSZ has become one of the universal solutions in the freight transportation market, as it is able to carry all types of freight containers, including tanks, and even those with hazardous materials. The flatcar can also transport 20-ft containers with an increased height and a maximum gross weight of up to 40 t.
Equipped with the 18-6786 bogies with an axle load of 23.5 tf, the container flatcar has a payload capacity of 75 t, which is one of the highest among similar wagons. The vehicle is designed for a speed of 120 km/h, featuring a length over buffers of 13.92 m and a wheelbase of 8.65 m.
The 13-6792 container flatcar from AVSZ. Source: TEXOL
The flatcar’s loading length of 12.2 m allows for convenient arrangement of containers. Additionally, a supporting system with 14 pins prevents containers from slipping during transportation. With a service life of 32 years, the 13-6792 wagon incorporates safety, durability and flexibility, opening new opportunities for freight operators.
At the end of 2024, AVSZ was granted the TR CU 001/2011 certificates for serial manufacturing (until 2029) of the 12-6785 gondola car, the 13-6792 container flatcar and the 18-6786 bogie. The production batches of the certified products include 8,000 gondola cars, 5,000 flatcars and 15,000 bogies.
Blueprint for the future
Over the years, the TEXOL Group has been demonstrating its course toward innovative engineering solutions in the car-building industry. The company has pioneered the deployment of articulated six-axle wagons participating in the design of the 15-9541-01 LPG tank car. A large batch of the rolling stock was certified for serial production, and now these tank cars are widely used on the 1,520 mm gauge network. In addition, TEXOL initiated the manufacture of the 15-629 articulated tank cars, a fleet of which is now owned exclusively by the Group and used for light oil products transportation. The unique six-axle 13-6741 container flatcar was also designed by the order of TEXOL, with the rights now belonging to the Kazakh company. The vehicle allows for transportation of four 20-ft containers, or two 40-ft containers, and a combination of these.
Currently, specialists of the KazTsTT engineering centre are working on launching production of the articulated cars at AVSZ. In the near future, the Group also plans to introduce a whole range of new wagons, in particular a high-capacity 80-ft container flatcar, a box car, hopper wagons for grain and mineral fertilisers, as well as specialised tank cars for chemical transportation. Such diversity of products, in-house engineering, full-cycle manufacture and location in Atyrau, Kazakhstan’s hub for oil production, are sure to foster the company’s technological leadership not only domestically, but in the 1,520 mm gauge car-building market and beyond.
