United Wagon Company and Skinest Rail are opening service centre for railcars in Estonia

Research and Production Corporation United Wagon Company (“RPC UWC”, or “Company”) (MOEX: UWGN), the market leader in innovative railcar building in the 1,520 mm gauge area, is opening a service centre in Estonia as part of warranty and post-warranty service provision for the Company’s new generation railcars. Running repairs to the cargo fleet operating in the Baltic States can now be carried out at AS Valga Depot in Estonia, which is owned by Skinest Rail railway concern.

The new service centre is unique in the Baltics. Valga Depot holds the necessary documentation, and stocks parts and aggregates to carry out repairs to railcars fitted with 18-9855 bogies (25 tf). Depot personnel have undergone a course of training, specially designed by UWC, for maintenance and repair of the new railcars.

Creation of a service centre at Valga Depo makes it possible to deliver aggregates and parts to any location in the Baltic States where repairs are needed. The Director of Valga Depot, Oleg Nikolaev, noted that the maximum time required for delivery of parts will be 48 hours.

Dmitry Losev, Deputy CEO for Technological Development at United Wagon Company, commented:

"We began building a service network even before our first car had entered service. We believe that technical service is integral to our products, and that it is our duty to provide it. We put special emphasis on a comprehensive, ‘all inclusive’ approach, which includes adaptation of railcar depots for servicing work, and for running and scheduled repairs, as well as close cooperation with infrastructure providers and customers. That is the basis, on which we are developing our railcar servicing network, with gradual expansion of its geography."

The UWC network currently includes 61 service centres and 6 training centres located in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Estonia. Growth of the network is driven by increase in the size of the freight fleet and expansion of its operating geography.