Alstom's first bogie centre in Kazakhstan

On 29 August 2023 Alstom inaugurated its first bogie centre in Astana to produce and maintain bogies for all types of railway vehicles throughout their entire lifecycle; this new centre comprises a total area of more than 8,000 m². It is a separate building, not far away from EKZ (around 1.5 km) and Repair Centre (around 500 m).

Nominal capacity is to produce 200 bogies and overhaul 300 bogies annually. In the framework of Alstom’s development plan in Kazakhstan, Alstom invested over 15 million EUR in creation of the bogie centre and has opened more than 100 jobs locally.

The bogie centre combines original equipment manufacturer knowledge and technology with product innovations. Alstom covers various service needs, bringing bogies and their components back to impeccable condition through repairs and overhauls, lifecycle and technical solutions management. The bogie centre is capable to overhaul bogie subcomponents which includes wheelset and damper repair, 3D measuring, non-destructive inspection, wheelset and motor testing, and other related activities supported by digital manufacturing process. Moreover, the facility is qualified to maintain non-Alstom components as well.

“This state-of-the-art facility has been established as a result of Alstom’s industrialisation development in Kazakhstan. Our bogie centre plays a crucial role in providing full maintenance for Alstom freight and passenger locomotives over a 25-year period. With full range of innovative equipment and services, we are happy to support Kazakhstan’s mobility as a trusted partner”, said Kanat Alpysbayev, Managing Director in Western and Central Asia.

As part of its FLEXX bogies offering, Alstom proposes the widest range of products, catering various rail transportation needs, from light rail to high-speed trains. Alstom also offers FLEXX Consult services, including the wheel-rail interface study to create the optimal interface between wheel and rail profiles, resulting in improved performance and reduced life cycle cost for both, wheel and rail.

Alstom has been operating in Kazakhstan since 2010 and has established a significant industrial base with over 1,000 employees working to address national mobility’s needs and modernisation of the country’s railway.