Uzbekistan: The Russian rolling stock manufacturer showed the model on its stand at INNOPROM. Central Asia. TMH CEO Kirill Lipa said previously that these trains are primarily intended for the country.
The EP5N low-floor EMU is designed for suburban services on AC lines, with a design speed of 160 km/h. It can be configured with between 4 and 10 cars.
The EMU will have asynchronous traction motors, predictive component diagnostics, CCTV and passenger counting, and is rated for operation at ambient temperatures up to +55 °C. Doors are 1,250 mm wide and the sealed inter-car gangways measure 1,200 mm.
Interiors will include sanitary modules with contactless fittings and a baby-change table, bicycle racks and charging points for e-scooters. The driver’s desk sits centrally in the cab, allowing single-person operation.
The EP5N is the next step in TMH’s new EMU platform. The lead model in the family is the hydrogen train currently in production for Sakhalin.
Visualisation of EP5N electric train by TMH for Uzbekistan. Source: TMH
Speaking at a press conference last week, Dmitry Petrakov, general director of TMH Engineering, said the train was at an advanced stage of development and the technical design was being adapted to Uzbek climatic conditions. “From June, we begin preparing the working design documentation. Prototype manufacture, testing and series production will follow,” he said.
In 2024, TMH delivered the high-floor EP3D EMU to Uzbekistan. Alexander Loshmanov, TMH’s deputy general director for passenger transport, said three more EP3D sets will go to the country this year, with two of them assembled together with Tashkent Passenger Car Construction and Repair Plant.
A new contract is under discussion, and Uzbekistan has announced plans to procure 28 EMUs for the national operator, Uzbekistan Temir Yullari, over the next five years. In 2025, Lipa noted that further TMH EMU deliveries to Uzbekistan would be possible only if the rolling stock on offer could serve low-level platforms.
This is not TMH’s first attempt at a low-floor train — a category no 1,520 mm-gauge manufacturer has produced to date. A project for the EP5Da was shown at the PRO//Motion.Expo in 2019, but it did not reach production due to a lack of demand. With the new model, TMH will also be in a position to bid for Belarusian Railways’ upcoming tender for 30 low-floor AC EMUs with a design speed of 160 km/h.
