Russia: The certification permits production of the cars through May 2030. The vehicles were ordered by Federal Freight Company, a subsidiary of Russian Railways. According to Sergey Efremov, the company’s first deputy general director, an initial batch of 40 cars will be procured to form a freight train for pilot operations.
The manufacturer began developing two models of eight-axle gondola cars — the Ural 12-5991 and the BAM 12-5992 — in August 2023, unveiling prototypes in March 2024. Certification of the BAM 12-5992 is expected shortly.
Both 25-tonne axle-load models offer a payload capacity of 151 tonnes and a service life of 32 years. They differ in loading gauge and volume: the Ural, with a capacity of 176m³, complies with the 1-T loading gauge, while the BAM, with a volume of 166m³, is built to the more compact Tpr loading gauge.
The new wagons are designed to boost capacity on constrained routes, including the Eastern operating domain of the Russian Railways network. The Federal Freight Company says a standard 988 m train made up of the Ural gondola cars can carry up to 22% more freight than a train of conventional gondola cars with an axle load of 23.5 tf. Data comparing performance with four-axle 25 tf cars is not yet available.
