RUSSIA: The first two wagons have been completed at Tikhvin Railway Car Building Plant, which has been established on part of a former Transmash site in Leningrad oblast, 200 km east of St Petersburg.

The 220 000 m² factory is being developed by ICT Group at a cost of US$800m. Series production of wagons is scheduled to begin in 2010, with 3 500 staff and an annual capacity of 10 000 open, hopper and container wagons. Heavy castings will be produced for outside customers, and a wheel plant is planned with an annual capacity of 50 000 wheelsets.

The first vehicles to be completed are prototype type 12-9761 bottom-discharge open wagons of 69·5 tonne capacity. The manufacturer says similar vehicles account for about 40% of the Russian fleet, and around half of the wagons which are currently scheduled for replacement.