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Rail company E.R.S. testing new General Electric locomotiveTallinn, Estonia 25 January 2012
Estonia’s largest railway cargo transportation company AS E.R.S. - 100% subsidiary company of Vopak E.O.S. (joint venture of Global Ports and Royal Vopak) is testing a new freight locomotive. The General Electric ‘Evolution’ TE33A diesel locomotive, assembled by Locomotive Assembly Plant in Astana, is able to pull trains with a weight of up to 5,200 tons in Estonia. ‘The preparations for the tests started more than a year ago and included obtaining permission from TJA for conducting operational tests in Estonia. The Evolution is a new generation locomotive providing savings in operational expenses and reducing air emissions, both factors which are of utmost importance to a logistics company. Testing the locomotive in Estonian conditions will be performed till March of the current year with the objective to evaluate compatibility to Estonian RW infrastructure and whether this type of locomotive could be a feasible choice for rejuvenating E.R.S. fleet ,’ said Arnout Lugtmeijer, Chairman of the Board of E.R.S.Lugtmeijer added that the consideration behind assessing a new locomotive is for Estonia’s logistics industry to remain attractive , and for this both infrastructure and transportation services need to be exceedingly cost-effective and reduce impact on the environment. Additionally, due to the locomotive’s technical requirements, it could also provide an opportunity to operate efficiently even beyond Estonian borders.Evolution Series locomotive TE33A is technically advanced and cost-effective locomotive of rating 3 ,356kW or 4,562 hp and maximum speed of 120 km/h. One 12-cylinder Evolution Series locomotive can pull the equivalent of 170 jumbo jets. Evolution locomotive provides savings on maintenance, fuel and lubricants, and emits considerably lower emissions. Over 3,700 Evolution Series locomotives are operating in 10 countries around the world.AS E.R.S., established in 2003 by Vopak E.O.S. to provide railway transportation and shunting services in Estonia to its oil terminals’ clients, soon began servicing other clients as well and is today the largest cargo transportation company in Estonia, transporting annually approximately 250,000 rail tank cars . This is an equivalent of a non-stop line of rail tank cars reaching from Tallinn to Barcelona. AS E.R.S. provides clients with rail transport services using its own locomotives and highly qualified and experienced staff.
For additional information: Olga van Kampen Head of Communication |
