Georgian Railway to purchase 200 freight railcars from Roslavl RRP
TBILISI. Sept 23 (Interfax) - The state enterprise Georgian Railway (GR) will purchase 200 new freight railcars from JSC Roslavl Railcar Repair Plant (RRRP, Smolensk region) through direct procurement, the Georgian business publication bm.ge reported, citing information published on the website of the Georgian State Procurement Agency.
The purchase price is $9.6 million excluding VAT. According to the agreement, the railcars must be delivered within 60 calendar days from the moment the agreement is signed. Payment will be made in Russian rubles at the exchange rate set by the National Bank of Georgia on the day of signing the act of acceptance and transfer of the goods.
In accordance with the terms of the contract, the first major overhaul of the railcars is envisaged no earlier than after four years or 350,000 km of operation, whichever period comes first. The manufacturer is also responsible for fulfilling the obligations envisaged by the warranty and for reimbursing the corresponding expenses in the event of factory defects.
The publication notes that GR previously tried repeatedly to hold tenders for the purchase of freight railcars - in July and February this year, and before that in October and December 2023. The tenders were declared unsuccessful due to the absence of bids or the disqualification of participants.
It was previously reported that the Georgian government announced a large-scale modernization of the railway in April this year with investments of $1.7 billion until 2036. The purchase of 50 new locomotives and 1,500 new railcars is planned as part of the program.
The Roslavl Railcar Repair Plant has been producing railcars since the early 1990s (tank cars for transporting petroleum products). It has serially produced gondola cars since 2006, platforms for transporting large-capacity containers and universal platforms since 2012, and platforms for transporting timber and tank cars for transporting vegetable oils since 2013.
