Guinea: The Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK) has taken delivery of 10 CRRC-built DF8B (CDD5B1) diesel locomotives at a handover ceremony held in December at its site in Kindia. The company, which operates the Kindia bauxite mine owned by Russian aluminium producer Rusal, has also received 95 new hopper wagons.
The new six-axle locomotives each have a power output of 2,721 kW. The DF8B platform has been produced in series in China since 1997 and has been developed in several variants, including those for foreign markets. CBK is upgrading its rolling stock as part of an investment programme aimed at increasing production at the Debele deposit from 3.7 mln to 5 mln t of bauxite per year. The programme also includes railway construction and modernisation works.
Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia taking delivery of 10 CRRC-built DF8B (CDD5B1) diesel locomotives. Source: guineematin
According to CBK, the new locomotives offer significantly higher efficiency compared with the TEM2T shunting locomotives currently used at Kindia, which were built by Bryansk Engineering Plant in 1985. Two DF8B locomotives operating in multiple can haul 54 wagons, while three TEM2T units can handle only 44. In addition, the TEM2T consumes 17 % more diesel fuel than the DF8B.
In 2021, CBK also ordered six TGМ8A shunting locomotives from Sinara – Transport Machines for use at Kindia. The units are rated at 882 kW and can operate in multiple.
