Business Watch
Train services to and from Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East have been disrupted by a head-on on 11th March collision between two freight trains that de-railed 30 wagons and damaged 400 metres of track.
The accident, which only caused minor injuries among two crewmen occurred near the railway station of Aur Smidovichskogo, in the Jewish Autonomous Region, in the Far East. The trains were carrying automobiles, timber and coal. The source of the accident is is believed to have been a faulty coupling which uncoupled causing other cars to de-rail, colliding with an oncoming trail. 8 accidents have been attributed to the coupling, of Ukrainian manufacture, this year and 24 in total last year on Russian railways.
Four passenger trains were reported stranded, including the Tran-Siberian Moscow-Vladivostok, Vladivostok-Moscow and Vladimir-Penza trains.
President Medvedev participated on November 15th, along with Russian Railways (RZD) president, Vladimir Yakunin in the laying of the final link in the Berkalit-Tommot-Nizhny Bestyakh railway which connects Yakutia to Russia’s mainline railways the BAM and Trans Siberian. The construction was first planned in 1985.
President Medvedev congratulated everyone who took part in the construction of the line, stressing that the work was carried out in permafrost and the difficult conditions of the Russian North.
A PKP Intercity Class EU07 electric locomotive has been extensively re-engineered by Polish firm ZNTK OLEŚNICA S.A.as a pilot for wider future programme.
The new locomotive has been uprated to 3.2 MW from the existing 2 MW of power, which allows a top-speed of 160 Km/h from the current 125 Km/h.
The DC traction motors have been redesigned by Emit Zychlin and the new EY541X4 three-phase AC motors will be fed by a Medcom FT-1600-3000 inverters. IPS Tabor has supplied the microprocessor diagnostic and control systems along with the pneumatic equipments while Enika supplied the auxiliary power equipments.
The new engine is being tested by PKP Intercity after which the company intends to place an order for 20 additional units.
