This announcement follows a visit by a delegation from Kazakhstan’s national operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, to the Wabtec diesel engine manufacturing plant in Grove City, the USA.
The official message of KTZ says that after the meeting, Wabtec has confirmed its plans to launch production of new diesel engines at the Astana Diesel Service plant. It was separately noted that it will be Wabtec’s first engine production outside the USA. Other details are not disclosed.
The project is being implemented under progressive increase in the localisation of Wabtec diesel locomotive production in Kazakhstan at the Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty (LKZ) plant since 2009. Currently, localisation is reported at 45%, with plans to raise this figure to over 50%. An engineering centre has also been established in Kazakhstan to support this initiative. New major agreements to supply locomotives, signed between Wabtec and KTZ on 22 September, should contribute to this aim. Their total value is $4.2 bln. The agreements cover the production of 300 ТE33АТ freight diesel locomotives at LKZ as well as maintenance of new and existing locomotives.
