Kazakh President discusses localization of CRRC locomotive productionKazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed the supply of locomotives and the potential localization of their production in Kazakhstan with Sun Yongcai, Chairman of the Board of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), the presidential press service reported Monday.Tokayev noted that cooperation with the Chinese state-owned rail giant had reached a new level following his state visit to China in October 2023. An agreement was reached for the supply of 100 mainline and 100 shunting diesel locomotives to the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). The president added that KTZ plans to purchase an additional 270 hybrid shunting locomotives in the near future."The head of state expressed confidence in the successful implementation of these supply agreements and emphasized the importance of moving to the next phase of cooperation: localizing locomotive production and establishing service centers within Kazakhstan. He stated this would develop domestic engineering, create new jobs, and ensure prompt technical maintenance for the country's railway infrastructure," according to the statement.CRRC Group, a Chinese state-owned holding company, is the world's largest rolling stock manufacturer. It produces over 2,000 locomotives, 3,000 passenger coaches, 50,000 freight cars, and 11,000 urban transit vehicles annually, exporting to more than 100 countries.Kazakhstan is also acquiring CRRC trainsets for the Astana LRT (Light Rail Transit) project, with two already delivered and a total of 19 planned. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX