The agreement was signed in Berlin during Kazakhstan president Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to the German capital.
Knorr-Bremse’s RailServices unit will maintain the brake systems on the locomotives operated by Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ). Knorr-Bremse will provide corrective and preventive maintenance as well as supplying replacement parts for all braking system components. This includes air supply units such as compressors and air dryers, along with brake control, distributor valves and bogie equipment.
Corrective maintenance covers unscheduled repairs of defective components, while preventive maintenance includes scheduled overhauls to optimise fleet availability. The agreement extends for 25 years per locomotive, and runs until 2051. In all, services will cover up to 495 mainline locomotive sections, the oldest of which entered service in 2013.
Rail carries 47.2% of Kazakhstan’s freight. Kazakhstan is one of the region’s key transit countries, while also playing a vital role in China’s “New Silk Road” initiative through Central Asia.
