The six-axle TE33A was developed by GE Transportation from its ES44ACi Evolution Series locomotive for the North American market. The TE33A has been built in large numbers for Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) at LKZ's plant in Astana, which opened in 2009 and has capacity to produce up to 100 units per year.
So far the plant has delivered nearly 300 TE33As, including units for customers in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
LKZ is a 50:50 joint venture between KTZ and Transmashholding, Russia.
The month-long trial with PKP LHS is due to conclude at the end of May.
