Turkish steelworks Erdemir in Eregli has ordered four EffiShunter 600 shunting locomotives with a more powerful CAT C27 diesel engine with an output of 709 kW from the Czech company CZ LOKO. The contract, worth approximately CZK 170 million, assumes delivery of the entire series in the first quarter of 2023. Czech locomotives will replace obsolete Soviet- and Chinese-designed machines in demanding industrial operation. The steelworks has the right to order two more units under the same conditions, i.e. six locomotives in total.
„This is a great export success, which we have managed to achieve despite the difficult conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The key is the top quality and economical operation of these locomotives. The excellent price/quality ratio is a parameter that opens the way for our locomotives to the world,“ says Jan Kutálek, Sales Director of CZ LOKO.
The company has thus built on previous deliveries. It has exported ten locomotives to the country over the last six years. Six EffiShunter 600 locomotives are running at the Isdemir steelworks, two Class 744 locomotives are already owned by Erdemir and two more Class 741.7 vehicles are being used by the state carrier TCDD as ‘back-up’ under Bosporus in the Marmaray underwater rail tunnel for emergencies.
„Although we entered Turkey six years ago, it is still a new market for us, and therefore a very challenging one. But the contract at the steelworks, which is among the largest iron and steel producers in the world, confirms that we are moving in the right direction. Modern design, crew safety, ecological operation and high reliability allow our locomotives to withstand the demanding conditions of continuous operation of ironworks,“ added Jan Kutálek.
The large railway siding of the steelworks, however, is not only used for the supply of input raw materials and shipping of finished products, but provides technological handling within the production itself. The locomotives must therefore be reliable and able to withstand the specific conditions of heavy industry with 24/7 deployment. These include, for example, non-standard loading gauges, curves with small radii or work in dusty environments and extreme weather conditions. And the four-axle EffiShunter 600 locomotives with electric power transfer and a Caterpillar C27 engine can handle them with ease.
