Locomotive Kurastyru Zahuyty

Lokomotiv құrastyru Zauyty JSC was established within the framework of the state program "Forced Industrial and Innovative Development of Kazakhstan" and opened on July 3, 2009. The main area of ​ ​ activity is the assembly of locomotives using General Electric (GE) technology, USA. The design capacity for November 2021 is 100 freight locomotives per year. Products are exported to Tajikistan, Latvia, Estonia, Mongolia and other countries.

History

2025: Contract with Kazakhstan Railways for the construction of 300 locomotives

The American Wabtec will receive a contract for the construction of 300 locomotives for Kazakhstan Railways - this is the result of a meeting between the US President and President Tokayev New York in September 2025 Donald Trump , congratulated his colleague "on a wonderful purchase" of $4.2 billion and said that this "will support the American railway industry." Despite the deal being a continuation of the old project, Trump gets an opportunity to show that he continues to "make America great" by lifting US rail workers from his knees.

Kazakhstan recalled the level of localization of production of 45% at the Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty locomotive plant in Astana, owned by Wabtec. Tokayev linked the deal with "strengthening cooperation with the United States" and the development of the Trans-Caspian transport route (bypassing Russia).

2024: Wabtec bought 50% of the company from TMH for $81 million and increased its stake to 100%

On February 14, 2024, the American company Wabtec announced a transaction to acquire a 50% stake in the locomotive assembly plant of Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty JSC (LKZ) in Kazakhstan. The transaction amount amounted to $81 million.

It is noted that earlier Wabtec owned a 50 percent stake in LKZ in parity with Transmashholding JSC (TMH). LKZ produces Evolution series locomotives, which are operated on the railways of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. In September 2023, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) included Transmashholding in the sanctions list. As a result, Wabtec decided to buy out the remaining 50% of LKZ shares, thus becoming the sole owner of the enterprise.

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Фото: Wabtec

As of the beginning of 2024, the number of LKZ personnel exceeds 1000 employees. The design capacity of the enterprise is 100 diesel locomotives per year. In August 2023, the 500th anniversary locomotive was produced at the plant. In turn, Wabtec was formed by the merger of Westinghouse Air Brake Company and MotivePower Industries Corporation. Wabtec Corporation is one of the world leaders in the field of transport and logistics.

It is also noted that in September 2023, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, during his visit to the United States, discussed with the head of Wabtec Rafael Santana the prospects for cooperation in the framework of the reconstruction of the republic's railway industry. The American corporation intends to invest $1 billion in the transport and logistics industry of Kazakhstan. These funds will contribute to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and will become the basis for other infrastructure projects. In addition, a framework agreement on strategic cooperation between Kazakhstan Railways and Wabtec was signed.^[1]

2009: GE Transportation starts supplying locomotives to Kazakhstan and later launches plant in Astana with Transmashholding

The Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) inherited from the USSR not a new fleet of diesel locomotives, which required scarce spare parts produced in Lugansk to operate - which forced the republic's leadership to look for a way out.

The choice fell on GE Transportation from the United States - a subsidiary of Wabtec. At that time, Russian Railways themselves depended on supplies from Lugansk, and in China production had not yet reached the desired level.

Since 2009, GE Transportation began supplying diesel locomotives to Kazakhstan, and later production was launched on the basis of the Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty plant in Astana, which by 2025 produced 451 locomotives. 50% of the shares of the joint venture belonged to the Russian Transmashholding. In terms of quality, these diesel locomotives became a successful investment, which later appeared in other countries of Central Asia and Transcaucasia.

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