UWC and Russian Railways open joint training centers

Research and Production Corporation “United Wagon Company” (RPC UWC) and Russian Railways have opened joint training centers to provide additional training to the staff of the Central Directorate for Infrastructure (CDI), a branch of Russian Railways. These training centers will help develop the technology needed to operate rolling stock with improved technical and economic features. Three more centers are due to be opened at the CDI regional directorates during 2015.

These new training centers are located at the operational railcar depots of the West Siberian, Krasnoyarsk and October Railways: Novokuznetsk-Severny, Krasnoyarsk-Vostochny and St. Petersburg-Sortirovochny-Moscow. The training will give depot staff the practical skills needed for maintaining and repairing freight cars equipped with Barber bogies.

As part of its training the programme, RPC UWC organizes training sessions for CDI employees, as well as for other wagon car-repair works staff, to ensure they know how to properly maintaining  freight cars equipped with Barber bogies.

The training programme has been specially designed by RPC UWC. During the classes, staff use an interactive electronic technical manual (IETM) for the freight bogie 18-9855 model, as well as training models of Barber bogies. Information and reference resources used as part of the training include textual and graphical information, 3D models, electronic technical documentation and an online operating and maintenance manual for the bogie. All materials used in the IETM are in line with the drawings and design-engineering documentation, meaning that the IETM accurately replicates how the system operates from all angles through 3D animation. It also reflects each step of the technological process.

In 2013, RPC UWC set up the first specialized training center for teaching the skills needed to properly maintain freight cars equipped with Barber bogies in Chelyabinsk. The center is located at the site of Carriage Repair Company-2’s network training center and approximately 150 experts from more than 50 depots completed their training there.

Andrey Cherevko, Deputy Director of the West Siberian Infrastructure Directorate of the CDI, commented: "The technical and operational characteristics of cars are improving, and this is the driving force behind the modernization of the Russian fleet. The fleet structure is changing and the operating domain of innovative cars is expanding. This is why it is important we open joint training centers in conjunction with the manufacturers of new rolling stock. The first-hand knowledge and maintenance skills staff gain from this training process significantly improves the quality of wagon maintenance and also shortens maintenance time”.