

RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s TikhvinChemMash plant is supplying fertiliser producer PhosAgro’s Apatit business with 87 chemical wagons with stainless steel tanks.
The Type 15-6900-01 design has 25 tonne axleload bogies and a capacity of 54·5 m3 or 76·5 tonnes, up to 8·5 tonnes more than older designs. The stainless steel tanks are fitted with sealing elements made from a friction and corrosion-resistant fluoropolymer material.
The wagons are designed to run for up to 1 million km or eight years between overhauls, compared to older designs which require an initial overhaul after 210 000 km and then every 110 000 to 160 000 km. The design life is 32 years.
‘We remain committed to strengthening our competitive position, including through further improvements to efficiency and reductions in operational expenditures’, said Sergey Pronin, who is responsible for sales, logistics and marketing at PhosAgro. ‘This includes reducing the costs associated with transporting our products. We are confident that working with the TikhvinChemMash-produced fleet of tank cars will allow us to significantly increase transportation efficiency and lower costs.’