Russia: The two-section passenger locomotive started running on the Moscow–St Petersburg line on 21 May, and on its first trip it hauled the Nevsky Express.
The locomotive carries the name of Honoured Railwayman Igor Goncharuk, who worked at a depot on the October Railway and was one of the early figures in Russian high-speed rail.
ChS200-003 was rebuilt and modernised to a design by RZD’s engineering bureau at the Yaroslavl Electric Locomotive Repair Plant, part of Zheldorremmash. The work included new wheels and a switch to LED lighting inside and out, along with changes to the cab interior and the ergonomics of the driver’s desk. According to RZD, reorganising the instruments and controls has made room for a display for the automatic train operation system and another for the KLUB safety system.
Refurbished ChS200 carrying carries the name of Honoured Railwayman Igor Goncharuk. Source: Irena Rudich/Gudok
The Czechoslovak-built traction motors were refurbished with insulation of a higher thermal class. The locomotive also received new automatic speed-regulation, wheel-slide protection, fire-suppression, air-conditioning and lighting systems. The signature Sapphire blue livery has been retained.
After the heavy overhaul, the locomotive went through a scheduled service at the LokoTech-Service depot in St Petersburg. Staff there checked the running gear, wheelsets and traction motors, inspected the pantograph, safety equipment and batteries, and tested the brakes.
Refurbished ChS200 electric locomotive. Source: Irena Rudich/Gudok
The ChS200 series, rated for up to 200 km/h, was built by Czechoslovakia’s Škoda specifically for the Moscow–Leningrad route. Twelve locomotives came out of the Plzeň plant between 1974 and 1979, and the last unit was withdrawn from service in 2024. In-house publication Oktyabrskaya Magistral reports that RZD’s Traction Directorate plans to modernise a further seven ChS200s to the same design.
