The Kazakhstan Railways (KZR) expects that the use of liquefied natural gas as an economical and ecological fuel for diesel locomotives will bring positive results.
KazTransGas Onimderi, a subsidiary of KazTransGas dealing with compressed and liquefied natural gas (CNG and LNG) and KZR signed a cooperation agreement.
The agreement is aimed at implementing an action plan to expand the use of natural gas as a motor fuel for 2019-2022, approved by the government of Kazakhstan.
The document provides for cooperation between KazTransGas Onimderi and KZR in the field of using LNG in diesel locomotives with gas-diesel engines.
KZR is the largest operator of the mainline railway network in Kazakhstan, providing 70% of freight and 60% of passenger traffic in the country.
The length of the main railway lines is more than 14 thousand km, and the fleet of locomotives totals more than 1,200 units, 609 of which are updated and modernized.