OREANDA-NEWS. November 25, 2010. Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, presented diplomas to the winners of the Company’s first competition for the best quality rolling stock and complex technical systems, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

Russian Railways organised the competition in order to motivate railway engineering enterprises to improve product quality, introduce innovative technology and develop promising new models in railway technology.

At today’s final stage of the contest, a number of enterprises were awarded diplomas and prizes.
In the category "Locomotive Quality", first place took JSC Lyudinovsky Locomotive Works, with the Scientific and Production Association South in second place and OJSC Electrovipryamitel coming third.

In the category "Carriage Quality, first place was awarded to JSC Rhythm Tver Manufacture for brake systems, second place to JSC Tikhvin Assembly Plant for the Titran Express and third place to OAO Tver Carriage Works.

First place for "Infrastructure Quality" went to the JSC Novosibirsk Switch Plant, second place to JSC Kalugaputmash and third place to OAO Sverdlovsk PRMZ Remputmash.

The Company has recently started implementing projects to transfer advanced technologies with a high degree of local production in cooperation with leading global manufacturers of railway equipment.

CJSC Transmashholding and Alstom have signed a contract on the joint production of the latest passenger locomotive EP20, while OJSC Sinara - Transport Machines and Siemens have agreed to set up joint production of the 2ES10 electric freight locomotive with asynchronous drive.

Russian Railways has also signed a contract with Siemens for the production and localisation in Russia of the new generation of Swallow (in Russian Lastochka) commuter trains, cooperation with JSC Tatravagonka in Slovakia has facilitated the development and production of articulated platforms and covered universal wagons and JSC Vagonremmash, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, has set up a joint venture with the German company Knorr-Bremse to produce of modern braking equipment.

According to expert estimates, investments by foreign manufacturers of railway equipment in Russia has already exceeded USD1 billion.

Vladimir Yakunin also said that this year alone Russian Railways will acquire rolling stock worth 46 billion roubles.