The contract was signed by Mr Aleksandr Kurchatov, technical director of Yakutia Railways, and Mr Michele Molinari, CEO of Molinari Rail, which will develop the locomotive with Sinara, Russia. The genset locomotive will be based on Sinara's TE8 locomotive platform and will use a combination of proven and innovate technology from Russia and the United States.

The genset locomotive will be designed to operate in the harsh Siberian climate found on the Baikal – Amur – Magistral (BAM) and the recently-completed 809km Amur – Yakutsk Mainline (Ayam) linking Berkakit with Tommot and Yakutsk.

"This project opens a new chapter in the Russian locomotive industry, as no comparable locomotive is available on the market," says Kurchatov.

"With Yakutia Railways, we have a partner that knows the challenges of the railway infrastructure of BAM and Ayam in Russia, and shares this knowledge to reach an optimal solution.