OREANDA-NEWS. December 03, 2007. Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant (NEVZ) has finished certificate and acceptance tests of the new one-section four-axle AC locomotive designated E5K, reported the press-centre of Transmashholding.

The new locomotive has successfully completed all the necessary tests: in May 2007, the train was sent to the Bataysk depot for an exploitation run following factory tests. The 5,000 km-long run was performed on North-Caucasus Railway between Likhaya, Bataisk and Timashevskaya stations. Following the run the locomotive was sent for certificate dynamic, endurance and track load tests to the VNIIJT range at Belorechenskaya station (also North-Caucasian Railway) in June 2007, which was complete in the fourth quarter of 2007.

In mid-November, the acceptance committee at NEVZ approved the locomotive R&D works and recommended a 30-locomotive pilot batch production by the plant. A total of ten locomotives are scheduled for production this year.

When the locomotive technical specifications have been approved as prescribed, the necessary documents will be sent to the Russian Federation Railway Transport Register Agency for the certificate of compliance expected to be issued in December 2007.

It is noteworthy that in September 2007, the CJSC Transmashholding and JSC Russian Railways signed contracts for production and delivery of 212 main line locomotives with 109 being of E5K model for 2007-2009.

The locomotive manufactured based on 2ES5K Ermak is designed to replace VL60K series locomotives manufactured by NEVZ in 1957-1967. The one-section electric locomotives are used to minimize electricity and exploitation costs resulted by use of more powerful equipment to lead small trains.