This is the first order to be won by the joint venture which was formed in 2010 by Wärtsilä, Finland, and Transmashholding.
The engines will be delivered in the autumn. "The locomotives are intended for operation in a temperatures ranging from minus 50oC to plus 40oC, which calls for high engine efficiency and reliability," says WTEC managing director Mr Zeljko Starcevic.
The first shunter to be tested using the new Wärtsilä 20L engine was granted a conformance certificate in April 2012 by Russia's Federal Railway Agency.
Full production of the engines will begin in the autumn at the new WTEC plant in Penza, Russia, which will be able to produce between 250 and 300 engines a year.
By the end of this year about 30 Wärtsilä 20L engines are expected to be powering TEM 18B locomotives, all of which will be delivered to Russian Railways (RZD).
