Russian Railways to add 1,250 engines by ?13

Russian Railways to add 1,250 engines by Æ13    The Russian Railways plans to buy 1,250 locomotives from 2011 to 2013 at a cost of more than 112 billion rubles ($3.6 billion).
   Vladimir Yakunin, the railroad's president, said the upgrades to the locomotive fleet should lead to substantially improved operational efficiency, with a 16 percent increase in locomotive productivity by 2015.
   In the past seven years, the railroad has acquired more than 2,000 new locomotives, and modernized and extended the service life of more than 3,700 others.
   'Russian Railways is now switching to new principles of partnership with railway equipment producers, harmonized with European standards,' Yakunin said. 'These are focused on comprehensive safety parameters, operational readiness, and lifecycle cost of equipment, which will define the company's technical policies in its relations with workers and producers.'