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LOTOS Kolej Fleet to Acquire Five New NEWAG Locos

NEWAG S.A. will deliver five electric locomotives to LOTOS. The 80 million zloty contract was signed in Warsaw on Thursday 28 February.

Under the contract, NEWAG will deliver two four-axle GRIFFIN locomotives and three DRAGON 2 locomotives. Moreover, NEWAG will provide maintenance services for the locomotives for seven years. It should be mentioned that LOTOS Kolej already has five DRAGON locomotives of the first generation.

“LOTOS Kolej has been our reliable client for many years, operating, among other,  the first generation DRAGON locomotives. We are very glad to be able to deliver another locomotives, including the six-axle DRAGON 2 (second generation) locomotives. We believe that the newly-acquired, fully TSI 2014 compliant  locomotives will meet expectations of LOTOS Kolej with guaranteed very high technical readiness levels, the same as in the first generation of DRAGON locomotives,” said Józef Michalik, Deputy President of the Board of NEWAG S.A.

DRAGON 2 is the first in Europe six-axle electric locomotive fully compliant with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI 2014) equipped with the ECTS Level 2 system. The locomotive is designed to pull heavy cargo trains, it uses cutting-edge, reliable technologies and ensures high work comfort for the driver. The main advantage of DRAGON 2 is a very high tractive force which enables the locomotive to pull heavy cargo trains.

The locomotive has converters based on silicon carbide (SiC) which guarantee defect-free operation in high temperatures, reduced noise levels, reduced energy losses by 50% and reduced size and weight of machinery by 60%.

GIFFIN, on the other hand, is a four-axle electric locomotive, designed to pull both cargo and passenger trains which is equipped with the Level 2 ECTS system. Its modular design enables it to be adapted to particular needs of each operator. GRIFFIN locomotives can be used to pull cargo trains of up 3200 tonnes with a speed of up to 160 km/h as well as passenger trains.

“We are glad to purchase the locomotives equipped with the ECTS system and  some of them have the so-called ‘last-mile’ engines, which is very useful for LOTOS Kolej. We care for the comfort of work of our train drivers who operate trains not only in Poland but also in trans-border and international transport. The contract with NEWAG, thanks to which we are enlarging our fleet with the GRIFFIN locomotives we have long planned to buy and with the DRAGON 2 locomotives will contribute to the development of our company,” said Anatol Kupryciuk, President of the Board of LOTOS Kolej.

“Acquiring five NEWAG-produced locomotives, namely GRIFFIN and DRAGON 2, will enable LOTOS Kolej to maximise its transport potential.  By increasing our rolling stock we meet the expectations of our clients, both the companies belonging to  LOTOS Capital Group and external business entities which appreciate their collaboration with LOTOS Kolej. The cutting-edge locomotives produced in Poland will make it possible for our company to widen our offer and have an impact on decreasing our operational costs,” added Jaromir Falandysz, Deputy President of the Board of LOTOS Kolej.

The locomotives will be handed over according to an agreed schedule. The first three locomotives will travel to LOTOS Kolej as early as in February. The delivery of the other will be finalised in May at the latest. NEWAG S.A. grants a 24-month guarantee for the locomotives.

The net value of the contract exceeds PLN 80 million, which comprises the total sale price and estimated costs of maintenance services payable proportionally when they are supplied.

It must be emphasized that the contract was signed as a settlement before a mediator in the matter concerning mutual claims of the parties regarding the contracts signed in December 2015. Signing of the contract satisfies all mutual claims of the parties regarding those contracts.

LOTOS Kolej is one of the leading railway cargo carriers in Poland. Since 2012, it has been the number two company on the Polish railway cargo transport when considering the amount of implemented transport operations. During a dozen years of its existence, starting as a local shunting carrier, the company has become an important player on the market offering, apart from cargo transport, railway siding services, rolling stock hire and technical maintenance and rail tank car cleaning. Since 2015, the services of LOTOS Kolej have also been available to clients which are located in the Federal Republic of Germany.

NEWAG S.A. is a leading manufacturer of electric and diesel passenger trains, electric and diesel locomotives and underground trains and trams. As one of the oldest rail companies in Poland, NEWAG S.A has extensive experience in manufacturing and modernising rolling stock. In recent years, NEWAG Capital Group has dominated the Polish market of producing electric multiple units, manufacturing and modernising electric locomotives and modernising diesel locomotives.