Kazakhstan: The Chinese manufacturer has secured agreements with national railway operator Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) to establish facilities for locomotive production and overhaul. The agreements were reached during the China – Central Asia Forum and also allow for a potential expansion of CKD6H hybrid shunting locomotive deliveries to 150 units.
Previous plans were limited to the establishment of an engineering and service center under a framework agreement signed by CRRC and KTZ in 2023 for the delivery of 200 diesel locomotives. Earlier reports also described plans for a locomotive assembly plant under a collaboration between CRRC and private Kazakh operator SilkwayTransit, although no public updates have been provided on this project for nearly two years. SilkwayTransit subsequently placed an order with CRRC for a batch of mainline electric locomotives.
The new agreements with KTZ also include the establishment of maintenance facilities in Astana, Pavlodar, Karaganda, Ekibastuz and other locations. As previously reported by ROLLINGSTOCK, railway product certification has accelerated significantly in Kazakhstan this year, allowing for market access across the Eurasian Economic Union, including Russia.
