BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 22. Kyrgyzstan will acquire 10 modern mainline freight locomotives manufactured by US-based Wabtec.
According to the press service of the Kyrgyz president, the acquisition of the locomotives was discussed during a meeting between President Sadyr Japarov and U.S. Special Envoy for Global Partnerships Ambassador Paolo Zampolli, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt, US Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic, and representatives of Wabtec in New York.
"In this regard, the importance of the meeting and the signing of a contract to acquire 10 modern TE33AS series mainline freight locomotives for use by the state enterprise National Company Kyrgyz Temir Zholu (Kyrgyz Railways) was emphasized," the statement said.
The locomotives will be acquired for the state enterprise National Company Kyrgyz Temir Zholu, with deliveries expected by the end of 2027, according to the press service of the Kyrgyz president.
Sadyr Japarov noted that the acquisition of the new locomotives will allow the modernization of about 30 percent of Kyrgyz Temir Zholu's locomotive fleet.
The president also instructed officials to work on the acquisition of the remaining part of the locomotive fleet with a view to fully renewing it over the next five years.
According to Sadyr Japarov, the modernization of the locomotive fleet is particularly important in light of the expected completion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway by 2030.
The implementation of the project is expected to increase freight transportation volumes and will require corresponding strengthening of the country's traction rolling stock.
The renewal of the locomotive fleet will also enable the servicing of new transport routes and contribute to unlocking Kyrgyzstan's transit potential, including the development of railway links between the country's regions.
US Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic thanked the Kyrgyz side for its interest in US technologies, noting that the project is one of the first of its kind in the history of cooperation between the United States and Kyrgyzstan.
