OREANDA-NEWS. The Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant (NEVZ, a CJSC Transmashholding - integrated company) is launching the production of the EP1M AC passenger electric locomotive pilot batch, reported the press-centre of  DMZ. The 90-locomotive pilot batch will be manufactured from April 2007 to February 2008. The decision that the EP1M electric locomotives production should be launched was made in view of the results of the acceptance committee work. The latter presided over by the chief of locomotive facility department of the JSC Russian Railways David Kirjner worked on the plant early in April, 2007. The committee evaluated the new locomotive test results and considered the pilot item accepted and recommended that the pilot batch building should begin.


The pilot EP1M was manufactured in 2006. It is a derivative of EP1, which has bee produced by the NEVZ since 1999 (over 370 produced items). The new locomotive features a modular driver’s cab enabling the train control by one person. The EP1M has a better ergonomic design and high technical specifications. The preliminary and certificate tests’ results prove the locomotive compliance with the approved documentation, that is why the results were taken for acceptance ones. The qualification tests are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2007. The second acceptance committee meeting devoted to considering the results of the EP1M exploitation and batch production preparation procedures is planned for February, 2008. The EP1 locomotive is operational with eight railways covering a large part of the country, namely Far-East, Krasnoyarsk, Oktyabrskaya, Privoljskaya, East-Siberian, West-Siberian, Zabaykalskaya, and North-Caucasian. The electric locomotives are replacing the worn-out ChS4 and VL60PK locomotives of the JSC RJD engine yard. The latter locomotives were manufactured in the 1960-1970 of the XX century.