Russian Railways (RZD) has begun testing the first new locomotive it plans to operate on the Pacific island of Sakhalin.
RZD has invested in 32 new TG16M locomotives for Sakhalin, which has a 1067 mm-gauge rail network – a relic from the island’s Japanese heritage.
In 2003, RZD announced plans to upgrade Sakhalin’s Japanese gauge railway to allow them to accommodate 1520 mm gauge traffic. The TG16M has been designed to operate on both types of track.
The locomotive began a six-month trial period in December, having already completed a series of static and dynamic testing in Lydinovo, Russia.
A special inauguration ceremony was held at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin in which the Archbishop of South Sakhalinsk blessed locomotive 001.
Built by the Sinara Group, the TG16M is significantly more powerful, it has a faster maximum operating speed than the island’s existing fleet of vehicles, some of which are around 40 years old, and it is designed to cope with the island’s steep gradient (3 per cent).
Two locomotives have been delivered to date, with the first due to go into service between Yuzhnno, Sakhalinsk and Kholmsk in July 2015.
