Gazprom orders LNG locomotives for Arctic railway

The locomotives will run on the company's Yamal railway, the world's northernmost.

Russian gas company Gazprom has ordered 24 LNG locomotives to use on its railway line in the Yamal Peninsula, the company said.

Sinara Transport Machines, a Russian company based in Yekaterinburg, which will build and deliver the new locomotives.

According to the deal, which was signed during last week’s St.Petersburg Economic Forum, the Sinara Group will provide for the serial production of locomotives running on liquified natural gas. By year 2024, a total of 10 locomotives with 1,200 horsepower and 14 with about 2,000 horsepower will be delivered, Gazprom said.

According to the Sinara Group, the machines will be able to pull up to 8,200 tons of cargo. They are more environmentally friendly than conventional locomotives and can help the operator reduce up to 40 percent in fuel costs.

The 572-kilometer (about 355-mile) long Yamal railway between the stations of Obskaya and Karskaya is operated by Gazprom subsidiary GazpromTrans. The line could be extended to nearby Kharasavey in the future, as well as to Sabetta on the northeastern tip of the Yamal Peninsula.

It is the world’s northernmost railway.

It  was opened in 2011 in connection with Gazprom’s development of the grand gas field Bovanenkovo. Today it constitutes a key part of the company’s logistics schemes in the area. The line ends in the station of Karskaya, a point located on 70 degrees north. It includes five stations and 12 double track sections. There are 70 bridges with a total length of 12 kilometers.