Companies To Collaborate On Building New Evolution SeriesTM Locomotives At New Manufacturing Facility
ASTANA, Kazakhstan and ERIE, Pa. (May 16, 2006) -- General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) officials today joined members of Kazakhstan's government to announce the building of a new locomotive assembly plant near Astana, Kazakhstan.
When complete, the factory will be able to produce between 100 and 150 GE Evolution Series™ locomotives each year for the CIS region. The locomotives will be used to help Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) move record amounts of goods and materials by rail, driven in large part to strong demand for transit intermodal traffic and petroleum products.
Production of Evolution Series locomotives will begin in 2008. GE and KTZ have a long history of collaboration dating back to 1994. In 2003 and in 2004 KTZ signed contracts with GE for more than 250 of GE's locomotive modernization kits. A locomotive modernization kit integrates a stateoftheart engine, computer system and cooling system aboard a refurbished locomotive deck.
"We are thrilled to continue building on this great relationship between KTZ and GE," said John Dineen. "Kazakhstan is quickly becoming recognized as a leader in the region in railroad technology and we look forward to a strong partnership for many years to come."
This model of Evolution locomotive will be GE's first Evolution locomotive assembled in the CIS, and it will be the most environmentally sound diesel locomotive in the CIS region.
Present at today's ceremony was Kazakhstan Prime Minister, Danial Akhmetov. Also present was United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan, John Ordway. United States Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was represented by Daniel Bloom, who presented a letter from the Secretary that celebrated the "vibrant commercial ties" between the two countries and congratulated GE and KTZ on their achievement.
"Locomotives modernized with GE technology are more reliable and much more fuel efficient, said KTZ President Dr. Erlan Atamkulov. "They are critical to the continued economic growth of Kazakhstan. We look forward to the day when new GE Evolution Series locomotives begin operation in Kazakhstan because that will mark the time when KTZ's fleet becomes the gold standard of locomotive technology in the CIS region."
GE's locomotive modernization program currently is being qualified as a new "ecomagination" product. EcomaginationSM is a GE initiative to bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet their most pressing environmental challenges. Evolution Series locomotives achieve a 35% fuel savings over the previous generation of GE locomotives and reduce emissions by more than 40%. The locomotives were the first to meet the United States EPA's Tier II emissions standards and they were among the first products in GE's Ecomagination portfolio.
The Evolution Series locomotives to be assembled in Kazakhstan will be specially designed for operation in Kazakhstan and the entire CIS region. The dualcab locomotives will have an interior walkway bridging both ends of the locomotive. The units will be powered by GE's 12cylinder GEVO engine, manufactured in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Traction motors on each of the six axles will be ACpowered, a first for the CIS region. The technology will be superior to any locomotive currently operating in the CIS region.
GE Infrastructure's Transportation business delivers technology solutions for the rail, marine, mining and energy industries. Products and services include freight and passenger locomotives, diesel engines for marine and stationary power applications and motorized systems for mining trucks and drills.
Patrick Jarvis
GE Transportation
Tel:(814) 8753457
e-Mail: [email protected]
Corporate Communications
[email protected]
business unit
tags