Russian Railways expects to need about 1,000 locomotives per year starting in 2025

VANINO, Khabarovsk Territory. Sept 18 (Interfax) - Russian Railways (RZD) will need to buy an estimated 1,000 locomotives per year starting in 2025, a deputy department director in the company's railway services and infrastructure division, Sergei Galkin said.

"We understand that starting in 2025 it will already be necessary to supply the acquisition of more than 1,000 locomotives per year not 600," Galkin said at a roundtable on improving railway throughput capacity to Vanino, an important port on Russia's Far East.

He said RZD is continuing its program to acquire new locomotives and plans to buy 605 this year, of which 402 have already been received.

But "due to the general economic situation the contractor [building the locomotives] has set additional conditions for increasing production," Galkin said. Contracts for future periods will be reassessed.

Speaking about eastern railways, Galkin said there are two process means of increasing throughput capacity, by using new-generation freight cars on limited routes and by optimizing routing of empty freight cars as well as loaded ones.