United Wagon Company launched batch production of gondolas with increased capacity of 77 tons

Research and Production Corporation “United Wagon Company” (RPC UWC) launched mass production of solid bottom gondolas with improved technical and economic characteristics at the capacity of the Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant.

The line capacity of solid bottom gondola building is up to 500 units per month. The manufacturing programme is full of product orders for the next year.

The freight car model 12-9869 fitted with Barber bogie with an axle load of 25 tf outperforms all previous analogues in the domestic market.

The 77-ton load capacity due to reducing the dead weight of the car up to 23 tons and the body space of 92 m³ provide the augmentation of loading up to 10 tons in comparison with an average loading of gondolas of early models in the Russian rolling-stock fleet. Increased capacity and tariff chart for empty freight car mileage will help the users of such gondolas to reduce the average cost of freight transportation.

The car life is about 32 years. The immense competitive advantage of the new car is the increased timescales between overhaul that help operators to reduce service maintenance costs by 30-40%.

As a result, the transportation cost of one ton of coal on route Kuzbass - Far East docks in a solid-bottom gondola made in Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant decreased on more than 200 RUB per ton in comparison with a standard car.

Loading gauge 1-VM provides an opportunity of using this car without restriction on the entire space of the 1520 gauge and offloading the cars with all actual types of car dumpers, and the smooth car lining improves the unloading gondola efficiency.

Dmitry Bovykin, First Deputy CEO for General Management of RPC UWC:

"The up-to-date design and high consumer qualities of the new car will give an opportunity for freight shippers and infrastructure owners to improve traffic economy. Mass introduction of this product on the network is a further step in the development of modern railway car building".