Nearly 50m Euros has already been invested in setting up the Stadler Minsk enterprise to create electric transport, noted Director Vladimir Korol during the Belarusian Industrial Forum
“The project to start manufacturing electric transport at the factory in Fanipol is advancing quite successfully. Almost 50m Euros has been invested in it so far,” he said. Mr. Korol also added that two construction phases had already been completed, enabling us to carry out the complete process flow that the manufacturing of electric trains requires. Welding work to construct the first few train bodies are beginning in two shifts at the factory. Since the project also envisages the production of trams and metro trains, several other construction phases have yet to be commissioned.
Inside the cabin of a Stadler electric train for city lines
As part of the Belarusian Industrial Forum representatives of the Swiss company Stadler Rail AG (founders of Stadler Minsk JSC) and the Holding Management Company of Belkommunmash signed an agreement on transferring the entire package of design documents and intellectual property objects to make trolleybuses and trams from the Belarusian enterprise. The package is needed to produce electric urban transport.
“The CIS’ first, and currently the only company to manufacture electric transport for railroads and cities, has been set up,” explained Mr. Korol. “The design documents are those used to make production models. However, they have been adjusted to meet Stadler Rail AG standards in the conditions of the new enterprise. At present, the Swiss manufacturer is one of the world’s top producers in its field.” The Director of the Fanipol-based enterprise noted that in May, Stadler signed a mega contract for the delivery of rolling stock for the rapid railroad that will connect Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy.
The investment project to start manufacturing electric transport for railroads and cities is being implemented by the Holding Management Company of Belkommunmash and the Swiss company Stadler Rail AG. The company, Electric Transport JSC, was set up to implement the project. It was renamed to Stadler Minsk JSC on November 6th, 2013, with Stadler Rail AG owning 60 percent of the charter fund. A 19-hectre land plot in the Minsk Region’s Dzerzhinsk District has been allocated for building of the factory, and has been made part of the Minsk Free Economic Zone.
At the first stage, the production capacity of the Belarusian-Swiss factory in Fanipol will total 18 trains of the Flirt and Kiss types annually. Later on, the manufacturing capacity will increase to 30 Flirt and Kiss trains, 100 trams, and 40 sets of welded structures. The factory plans to make three electric trains by the end of this year.
