Alstom has been awarded a contract worth around €470 million to supply 55 Traxx Hauler dual-voltage locomotives to Ukrainian Railways, which will be adapted to the specific requirements of Ukrainian Railways.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (€300 million) and the World Bank ($190 million) will provide most of the finance.

Alstom will design and construct the locomotives at its site at Belfort in France for delivery starting in 2027. Also included in the contract are training for train drivers, maintenance personnel, and some parts deliveries.

The locomotives will be configured with four bogies in a Bo-Bo configuration, where each axle is powered by a separate traction motor. They will be suitable for operation from 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC traction systems, a power rating from 7.2 to 9.4 MW, and a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Security and communication systems for the locomotives will be made in Ukraine.

Alstom has an engineering centre in Kharkiv, where highly skilled Ukrainian engineers develop modern railway signalling systems. In 2018, it opened an office in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for rolling stock projects, including developing electric locomotives for both Ukraine and elsewhere.

The first of Alstom’s projects in Ukraine was the modernisation of a 123 km line between Krasnohrad and Lozova. Since then, as well as in Ukraine, it has designed, manufactured, installed, and maintained railway signalling systems in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Sweden. It has also supplied Traxx locomotives to Romania and Poland.

“The strategic agreement, which we have signed with Alstom for the supply of 55 modern freight locomotives, is an important step toward solving the critical problem of the outdated traction fleet, with an average age of 46 years, and an investment in economic security and the sustainability of our logistics. This agreement is an important signal of the trust of international partners (URTF Fund of the World Bank, EBRD) in the future of the Ukrainian railway industry. We are grateful to our partners for this support.”

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrainian Railways.