Russia: Sinara Group plans to introduce the first DC electric locomotive of the new series in February, and to test and certify it during 2022.
This was announced by Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, President of the Sinara Group, during the visit of Russian government representatives to the Ural Locomotives plant (part of Sinara). The new rolling stock is intended to serve as the basis for the manufacturer’s new line of electric locomotives for the next 15-20 years. The production of the 3ES8 locomotive (originally called 2ES6A) is included in one of two supply scenarios for Russian Railways agreed to Sinara Transport Machines (STM) for issuing of green bonds worth 10 bln RUR (approx. $136 mln USD) last summer.
The presentation of the characteristics of the new locomotive took place in October 2020. The design power of 3ES8 in continuous mode should be at least 12,000 kW, the traction effort when starting off – 1,100 kN, the traction effort in continuous mode at 50 km/h speed – 847 kN. On the basis of the ES8 platform, it is planned to additionally create an AC electric locomotive, a two-system version, as well as a locomotive for driving container trains with a design speed of 160 km/h. It should be noted that last summer STM also presented 13-6704 container flatcar, produced at STM sites and implying an operating speed of 140 km/h.
As Vitaly Brekson, Deputy CEO for Technical Policy at Ural Locomotives, noted in an article for RBC+ in the summer of 2021, the locomotive was created based on a life cycle of 28 years. Thus, an increased overhaul run of 3ES8 is expected, which will require only one complete overhaul per its life cycle. To ensure this possibility, the locomotive includes structural elements with an increased service life.
It is planned to use the ATD1000 three-phase asynchronous electric motor as a drive in the locomotive. In February 2020, Traction Components (part of STM) and Russian Electric Motors (REM, joint venture of Transneft and KONAR, created with the participation of Nidec ASI) signed an agreement on the development and serial production of this motor on the site REM in Chelyabinsk. In early December 2021, the motor passed an acceptance committee consisting of Russian Railways (RZD), its R&D centers and project participants, having received a recommendation for production.
ATD1000 asynchronous traction motor. Source: Sinara Group
Also, the locomotive will be integrated with an intelligent system of wheelset slip control with a self-learning function. It should allow to control the traction effort and haul heavy trains at a given speed. The unique technology was patented by Ural Locomotives in November last year.
The cooperation agreement between STM and RZD on the design of a new electric locomotive was signed in November 2020. According to it, STM had to do a feasibility study of the new locomotive operation, provide RZD with a calculation of the life cycle cost and the limit price. Specific volumes and terms of deliveries of 3ES8 will be determined by separate contracts. Vitaly Brekson previously noted that, based on the results of testing and the acceptance committee, a decision on the release of an installation series would be made, which, as a rule, is 30-50 locomotives. In November 2020, CEO of STM Viktor Lesh also reported in an interview with RZD TV, that the order for these locomotives could be 300-400 units within 10 years.
Welding of the 3ES8 bogie frame by a robotic complex at Ural Locomotives, May 2021. Source: Sinara Group
In turn, another Russian manufacturer, Transmashholding (TMH), is developing the 2ES9 AC electric locomotive. As TMH CEO Kirill Lipa noted in an interview with the Railway Equipment Journal last summer, the manufacturer was tasked by RZD to develop this locomotive in 2 years. As Oleg Valinsky, Deputy CEO and Head of the RZD Traction Directorate, pointed out in 2020, this locomotive should be 40% more powerful than the 3ES5K model (continuous power of 9,180 kW in continuous mode).
Also in 2020, TMH certified 2ES5S and 3ES5S AC electric locomotives. The power of the three-section unit in continuous mode is 12,600 kW, the traction force in hour mode is 1,035 kN, and in continuous mode it is 795 kN. Especially for these locomotives, TMH also developed the DTA-1100 asynchronous motor, which received a certificate of compliance with the EAEU technical regulations requirements in 2019.
