GE Transportation Secures Locomotive Order in Moldova
GE Transportation has won an order from Moldovan Railways (CFM) for the supply of 12 Evolution Series locomotives. The contract also includes parts, training and services provisions.
GE Transportation in Moldova
This is the first time GE Transportation will be supplying locomotives to the country. Moldova is aiming to improve its fleet of both freight trains and passenger trains. Freight trains in Moldova largely transport grain and ore.
TE33AC Locomotive
The TE33AC locomotive, has been designed with the wide temperature range of the CIS region in mind. It has a 12-cylinder, 4,000-horsepower Evolution Series engine that is compliant with EU3A emission levels. GE Transportation says this locomotive offers “high power output, enhanced productivity, greater flexibility, lower life-cycle costs and improved reliability in heavy-haul operations”. GE Transportation will manufacture the locomotive kits in the United States in 2019. It will then ship these for regional manufacturing with an expected final delivery date in 2020.
Iurii Topala, CEO of Moldovan Railways, said:
“With these new GE locomotives, we will get the added benefit of significant fuel savings as we will be able to use a single locomotive to haul trains, in place of two that we use today tot carry the same amount of freight.”
This order is part of the Moldovan Railways Restructuring Project, which has received funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the European Union. The project is intended to allow CFM to acquire “new multi-purpose locomotives to offer a higher level of service quality, safety and energy efficiency benefits” and to conduct “priority investments in rail infrastructure rehabilitation and related supervision services”.
Gokhan Bayhan, GE Transportation General Manager, Russia / CIS, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, said:
“We are honored to be selected by Moldovan Railways for this important infrastructure investment. With this order, GE Transportation will have over 1,000 locomotives operating in eight countries in the region, bringing newfound performance and productivity to these vibrant economies.”
