RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s ТikhvinChemMash plant has won a second contract to supply to Ilim Group subsidiary Fintrans GL with tank wagons to carry chemical products including caustic soda. The order announced on November 8 will take the company’s fleet of modern tank wagons to around 50 vehicles by the end of the year.
The Type 15-6900 wagon features a low-alloy steel tank with thermal insulation for winter operation, and high-axleload bogies which provide a capacity of 54·5 m³ or 73 tonnes. This is a 12% increase in capacity per wagon compared to older designs, and is expected to lower costs by enabling the overall size of its fleet to be reduced.
The wagons are designed for heavy maintenance intervals of 800 000 km or eight years, with a service life of 32 years, and qualify for a state subsidy of 300 000 roubles/wagon under a government programme designed to encourage orders for modern vehicles.
Kurovsky Maxim, Managing Director for Logistics at Ilim Group, said the company was systematically modernising its fleet, and had placed the latest order after evaluating an initial batch of wagons which had been supplied earlier this year.