Rising Strong! Turkey's First Six-Axle Electric Locomotive Enters Production

Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkey's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, made a statement on the new mainline locomotive project implemented by TÜRASAŞ (Turkish Railway Systems Industry and Trade Inc.): Turkey has launched the production of its first domestically developed six-axle electric locomotive, marking a major breakthrough in the country's railway equipment manufacturing.

Named the "National CoCo Type Mainline Locomotive", this is Turkey's first domestically produced six-axle electric locomotive. After completing the conceptual and preliminary design phases, it targets an output power of 7.2 megawatts (MW), representing a roughly 50% increase compared to the existing four-axle models. The project is developing both electric and diesel-electric versions simultaneously; the diesel-electric variant, with a designed power of 3,750 horsepower, will be the most powerful in its class.

To enhance efficiency and control costs, the two versions adopt a modular design, with core components such as bogies and underframe sub-structures co-developed and shared. The project team has also applied the R&D experience gained from the previous E-5000 locomotive and reduced the variety of spare parts by unifying the product series. Uraloğlu emphasized, "We will build Turkey's most powerful electric and diesel-electric locomotives through this initiative."