TE33A


The TE33A is a type of diesel locomotive developed by GE Transportation Systems for 1520 mm gauge railways. It is part of the GE Evolution Series family, designated ES44ACi by GE.
Following the delivery of an initial 10 locomotives from GE's plant at Erie, Pennsylvania in the USA, TE33A locomotives are being assembled from kits by the JSC Lokomotiv subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy at a new factory in Nur-Sultan which was opened by President Nursultan Nazarbayev on 3 July 2009.

Specification

The TE33A was designed for the market, in particular to replace the 2TE10. Russian GOST Standards and Safety Norms were used in development, and the locomotive is designed to use standard GOST fuel and lubricants.
The locomotives have two cabs, and are among the first diesel-electric locomotives with AC traction motors to operate in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The TE33A is certified by the UIC to meet EU IIIa emissions standards, and reduce particulate emissions by approximately 75% and NOx emissions by 35% per kilowatt-hour when compared to a 2TE10.

Orders

Kazakhstan

Freight locos

In September 2006 Kazakhstan Temir Zholy placed a US$650m order for 310 locomotives. The first 10 were built in GE's Erie, Pennsylvania, plant while the remaining 300 are being assembled in Nur-Sultan.

Passenger locos

At InnoTrans on 19 September 2012 KTZ ordered 110 locomotives to be delivered from 2014 for use on passenger trains. These will have a higher maximum speed of 160 km/h.

Estonia

In 2010 Vopak EOS, the owner of Estonian Railway Services, began negotiations to buy TE33A locomotives. A TE33A was sent to Estonia in December 2011 for five months of testing. On 22 May 2013 a contract for 15 locomotives was signed by Vopak EOS. In 2015 the order was reported to have been cancelled.

Kyrgyzstan

On 3 July 2012 Kyrgyz Railways ordered five TE33A locomotives.

Moldova

In November 2018, Moldovan operator Calea Ferată din Moldova ordered 12 TE33A locomotives for delivery in 2020, with major components built in the United States and final assembly in Moldova.

Mongolia

In 2009 a single US-built TE33A was supplied to Ulaanbaatar Railway. Further orders are expected.

Russia

Discussions have also been held to supply Eurosib with 50 locomotives, and also with Yakutian Railway.

Tajikistan

In November 2011 Tajikistan's national railway ordered six locomotives, which were delivered in early 2012. These were the first locomotives to be exported from the Astana factory.

Ukraine

In May 2013 cement and construction materials supplier JSC Ivano-Frankivsk ordered a single TE33A locomotive. It was delivered in October 2013. In February 2018, state-owned operator Ukrainian Railways ordered 30 TE33A locomotives for delivery from the United States within two years and components to assemble up to 195 more locomotives in Ukraine during the following decade. In September 2018 TE33A's started to arrive in Ukraine.

Turkmenistan

In 2014, Turkmenistan purchased one locomotive. It was used in the opening ceremony of the new railway Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran.

Azerbaijan

On 3 August 2015 Azerbaijan Railways took delivery of TE33A-0287, the first of 10 TE33A locos which are being leased from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan subsidiary DBK Leasing.

Gallery