BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 18. Azerbaijan
Railways (ADY) CJSC is negotiating the purchase of an additional 14
freight locomotives from China, Head of ADY’s Public Relations
Department Bakhtiyar Hajiyev told Trend.
He noted that the process remains at the negotiation stage, and
the timeline for finalizing the acquisition has not yet been
determined.
According to Hajiyev, the locomotives presented today are the
first rolling stock purchased from China in ADY’s history.
“The locomotives are equipped with modern control and safety
systems. The technologies used enable the transportation of heavier
loads and more efficient freight operations overall. These
locomotives will be used for cargo transportation along
international transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan,” he
said.
Hajiyev also noted that the new locomotives comply with the
International Union of Railways (UIC) Stage IIIA environmental
standards.
He added that global demand for freight transportation is
currently increasing, particularly along the Middle Corridor.
Accordingly, the number of block trains dispatched from China to
Azerbaijan is also rising.
"This is prompting Azerbaijan Railways to expand and modernize
its locomotive fleet in line with modern challenges. The
acquisition of new locomotives should be viewed not merely as an
upgrade to the ADY fleet, but also as a response to the rising
demand for transit freight transportation along the international
transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan," Hajiyev
emphasized.
He added that the new technology enables two locomotives to be
coupled together and operated by a single crew. This makes it
possible to transport heavier and longer freight trains over
greater distances.
Seven new AC50-type freight locomotives, manufactured by the
Chinese company CRRC Ziyang Co., Ltd., have already been delivered
to Baku.
