OREANDA-NEWS. On May 22, 2008 Russian Railways and Transmashholding have signed an agreement for the supply of 100 new 2 TE25A Vityaz mainline locomotives with asynchronous traction, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

The total value of the contract is around 15 billion roubles, with dates and delivery schedules to be determined subsequently.

The 2 TE25A Vityaz locomotive with asynchronous traction was developed at the Bryansk Machine Building Plant (BMBP) using only Russia’s own domestic technological base. It is the first Russian freight locomotive with asynchronous traction control. The construction uses a diesel from the Kolomensky Locomotive Manufacturing Plant with electronic injection and a new bogie design.

Trials of the first locomotive are currently being completed and the Certificate of Compliance is expected in 2008.

During trials, the 2 TE25A Vityaz pulled trains weighing up to 7,800 tons, which is comparable with the best locomotives in the world and greatly in excess of the pulling power of locomotives which make up most of the fleet in the CIS countries, such as the 2 TE10, which can pull approximately 5,200 tons.

The main line locomotive is a new product not only for BMBP, but also for the Russian transport engineering industry as a whole. Series production of this class of locomotives began in Russia in 2007 at the Kolomensky Plant (2 model TE70) and BMBP (model 2 TE25K Peresvet), both of which are owned by Transmashholding.

During the Soviet period, main line cargo locomotives were produced in Ukraine at the Lugansky Luganskteplovoz Factory in Voroshilovgrad.