International Railway Journal

The 24.3 m wagons will have an axleload of 22.5 tonnes and a payload capacity of 108.6 tonnes, enabling the transport of various standard-sized ISO containers, tank containers and swap bodies with a gross mass of up to 36 tonnes.

UWC says the flat wagon is designed to be more lightweight than equivalent vehicles currently operating in Europe.

The wagons will be manufactured at UWC's plant in Tikhvin, Leningrad region. The wagon assembly certification for compliance with the European TSI standards will be carried out by the end of 2019.

"Designing a wagon for DB was a very ambitious objective for UWC," says UWC managing director, Mr Maxim Kuzemchenko. "It would be possible to enter the European market offering wagons with a simpler construction for ordinary freight companies, but we decided to offer something more sophisticated, because DB sets extremely high standards for the quality of processes and implementation.

"Within a year, we carried out R&D work, worked on the design with our German colleagues, studied existing European standards, prepared our manufacturing facilities and personnel, and built links with international suppliers. I am confident that this project offers our company huge potential on the international market."