UWC and Sodrugestvo Group have signed an agreement on 1,000 innovative hopper-cars supply

In the course of the 19th Moscow International Transport & Logistics Exhibition and Conference “TransRussia 2014” the railway holding United Wagon Company (UWC) and Sodrugestvo Group have signed a strategic cooperation agreement on 1,000 innovative hopper-cars supply for transportation of grain and mineral fertilizers. The fleet lease term is up to 5 years.

Under the operative lease terms UWC will deliver 400 grain hoppers and 600 mineral hoppers with advanced operating features, produced by Tikhving Freight Car Building Plant (managed by UWC) to the Sodrugestvo Group. The entire rolling stock will be delivered until the end of 2014.

Hopper-cars equipped with innovative bogies with axle load 25 tf have the characteristics such as increased up to 76,5 tons capacity, increased overhaul life (6 years or 5000 th.km prior to the first depot repair, 4 years or 350 th.km between depot repairs) and 32 years of service life. Hopper-car body space is 101 m3 that allows increasing its load by 6-7% and making maximal use of its capacity for any types of mineral fertilizers.

Commenting on the agreement Alexander Lukyanenko, Deputy CEO for Sales & Supply at UWC, said: “We are pleased to develop cooperation with Sodrugestvo Group that has started almost a year age. We see a good opportunity in using innovative fleet by our partner, because agro-industrial company’s cargoes are appropriated perfectly for the ratio of these cars capacity and body space. And we intent to develop innovations together in future.”

Alexey Galkin, Director of Logistics Division at Sodrugestvo Group, added: “Our Company is already leasing more than 500 UWC’s grain hoppers. We are shipping cargoes by different routes and these cars demonstrate good technical and economical results on the routes”.