OREANDA-NEWS. November 19, 2007. An acceptance committee examining a pilot EP2K DC passenger locomotive has completed its work at Kolomensky Zavod (a CJSC Transmashholding member).

The interdepartmental committee was examining EP2K-001 and EP2K-002 locomotives’ test results and found the technical and exploitation features compliant with up-to-date main line passenger electric locomotives’ requirements and recommended a 25-locomotive pilot batch construction.

At the acceptance committee session the Vice-President and Chief Engineer of JSC RZD Valentin Gapanovich said, “The creation of EP2K electric locomotive is a key event since DC passenger locomotives has never been produced in Russia before. The locomotive was developed within the JSC RZD campaign for upgrade of locomotive fleet, which outlines the interim locomotive complete development in 2007.”

V.Gapanovich said JSC RZD was going to purchase 514 EP2K locomotives within the next few years. This September, the first contract for delivery of 103 electric locomotives within three years was signed. The RZD chief engineer said 160 locomotives will be sent to Barabinsk depot of the West-Siberian Railway and another 100 items will go to St Petersburg-Moscow depot of the Octyabrskaya Railway.

The committee highlighted the undercarriage design providing the locomotive high ride performance. For the first time in Russian locomotive building the microclimate features such as noise level, vibration, acoustics, and heat conductance in the driver’s cab considerably exceeded existing demands.

It is noteworthy that the EP2K-001 electric locomotive underwent an exploitation run at the Barabinsk depot of the West-Siberian Railway in 2006. From November 24 till December 11 the locomotive led № 87/88 Irtish train between Barabinsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk. The tests were carried out under winter continental climate conditions including heavy snowfalls, strong winds and minus 30 degrees of temperature. The EP2K-002 locomotive underwent the exploitation run at St Petersburg – Passenger Moscow depot (Octyabrskaya Railway) in 2007. From August 24 till September 6 the locomotive led passenger trains between St Petersburg, Svir and Bologoe. The locomotive test results proved it is reliable.