“Kazakhstan has a progressive and open-thinking local government that understands the importance of railways in driving the local economy,” said Gokhan Bayhan, Wabtec’s regional senior vice president for CIS, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He added that KTZ serves as a key freight link between China and the West, and the new Evolution Series locomotives will enhance efficiency, reliability, and operational cost savings to meet the increasing demand.
The ES44ACi locomotive, equipped with a 12-cylinder, 4,500-horsepower Evolution Series engine, is designed for heavy-haul operations in Kazakhstan’s challenging weather conditions and mountainous terrain. These locomotives offer longer operational periods between maintenance, improving overall fleet performance.
The locomotives will be manufactured at Wabtec’s Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty plant in Astana, which adheres to global quality standards, including MC ISO 9001-2015. The facility employs over 700 people and plays a crucial role in supporting Kazakhstan’s rail industry transformation.
“This order reinforces Wabtec’s longstanding partnership with KTZ to advance Kazakhstan’s rail sector,” said Bayhan. “For over 20 years, we have collaborated to position the country as a key rail hub in the CIS region. We remain committed to exploring opportunities that improve KTZ’s fleet and the overall efficiency of the rail ecosystem.”
Wabtec is scheduled to begin delivering the first of the new locomotives next year. They will join KTZ’s existing fleet of approximately 451 Evolution Series freight locomotives.
