Kazakstan: The local car builder, part of the Railways Systems KZ holding company, has designed the new type freight car for double-stack transportation of containers. The vehicle is currently tested by the logistics company KTZ Express, a subsidiary of the national operator Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ).
Yet, the well car has not been presented officially. The photo of the vehicle, published by KTZ, reveals that the four-axle prototype has a payload of 76.5 t with a tare weight of 23.5 t. The bogies are fitted with TBUs, which indicate that the bogies’ axle load is 25 tf. The well car was manufactured this year, in February, but no information about its certification has been found.
KTZ expects that introduction of the freight cars allowing for double-stack shipment will increase a throughput capacity and reduce logistics costs. Such transportation is widespread in the USA, for example.
Alexey Bezborodov, InfraProjects’ Managing Partner, notes that the double-stack loading technique has the potential for short-distance routes, and the Altynkol–Zhetygen line, where the new well car undergoes testing, is suitable for this kind of transportation. Meanwhile, the service is unlikely to expand across the 1,520 mm gauge track. According to Mr. Bezborodov, a lot of container terminals here are not designed for double-stack loading and unloading of containers. Besides, the railways are mostly electrified, thus the overhead clearance will become an obstacle for double-stack rail transportation.
ZIKSTO’s focus on the freight car market is production of flatcars. ROLLINGSTOCK’s data say that, over the period from 2023 and the first half of 2024, container flatcars prevail among the total of freight cars produced by the manufacturer. At the same time, in early October, the new general-purpose 13-6768 flatcar was certified for serial production, but so far, the vehicle’s specifications have not been disclosed.
