21.10.2022

RM Rail (Russia’s leading producer of freight rolling stock, part of the Aluminium Association) has unveiled two new aluminium alloy railcar models: a tank railcar for concentrated nitric acid and a container tank railcar for liquefied natural gas. According to the company, both models outperform their existing counterparts in terms of the key parameters.

Tank railcar for concentrated nitric acid, model 15-1232-05, is made of the 1407 aluminium alloy with high corrosion resistance in aggressive environments, comparable to pure aluminium and more than twice as strong as pure aluminium. The reduced wall thickness allowed the design to be lighter to 21.4 tonnes (3.6 tonnes weight reduction compared to counterparts) and increased the payload to 78.6 tonnes (+3.6 tonnes) with an axle load of 25 tonne-force. The tank volume is extended to 61.8 cubic metres (+7 cubic metres compared to counterparts). The service life of the tank railcar is 40 years.

The AKC-SPG42.7 tank container for transporting and storing liquefied natural gas is made of the 1581 aluminium alloy. A new generation mineral hopper, model 19-1299, which was presented in spring 2022, is made of a similar alloy.

The key advantages of the tank railcar include an extended design life of maximum 30 years (+10 years compared to counterparts), a reduced tare weight of 12.2 tonnes (-15%) and increased reliability through the use of advanced welding technology. Technical solutions in terms of fixing the inner vessel allowed increasing its volume to 42.7 cubic metres (+2.7 cubic metres compared to existing steel counterparts made in Russia).

‘Our company continues to expand the use of innovative aluminium alloys in railcar construction, offering our customers a unique rolling stock that guarantees maximum efficiency and reliability in operation. During the current year, we have developed and made 3 new products from aluminium alloys. These solutions reduce costs of freight transport and fully meet the demand for the renewal of Russia’s fleet of freight rolling stock. We are confident that our solutions will be appreciated by the market,’ says Maxim Tevs, CEO of RM Rail.

‘The domestic fleet of rolling stock is being expanded with two new railcar models at once. Behind these successes is a lot of work by scientists, designers, metallurgists and, of course, railcar construction workers! The Aluminium Association, for its part, has been actively involved in updating the existing regulatory framework over a number of years, which has significantly expanded opportunities for improving the performance of freight railcars and motorised rolling stock,’ said Evgeny Ignatiev, Head of the Railway Transport Development Department at the Aluminium Association.

ABOUT RM RAIL
RM Rail (www.rmrail.ru) – is a leading integrated producer of full-service specialised freight rolling stock for railways. The main subsidiaries are: JSC Ruzkhimmash, LLC VKM-Steel, JSC RM Rail Abakanvagonmash, JSC Neon, LLC VKM-Service, LLC RM Rail RVS and JSC RM Rail Engineering. The operations are located in the Republic of Mordovia and Republic of Khakassia.