Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil launched the first train of eight-axle "Ural" and "BAM" gondola cars in January 2026, according to the "Made in Russia" project following a report from the production site. The cars were developed jointly with the Federal Freight Company (part of Russian Railways) and are designed to operate in the eastern direction, where cargo flows are steadily growing. The carrying capacity of each gondola car is 151 tons, and the service life is 32 years. UVZ is part of the Uralvagonzavod Concern of the Rostec State Corporation and is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.
Eight-axle gondola cars "Ural" and "BAM": why are they needed and how are they arranged
The standard freight gondola car on Russian railways is four-axle. The eight-axle design means two articulated bodies on four bogies — this allows twice as much cargo to be placed on one unit of rolling stock. With the same train length, the network throughput increases: fewer cars carry the same volume of cargo.
Specialists of the Ural Design Bureau of Car Building emphasize that "eight-axle cars" are especially important in the eastern direction — the Trans-Siberian Railway and the BAM, — where throughput remains a bottleneck for the growing cargo flow towards the ports of the Far East.
The new cars are designed for repair at existing facilities: the main wearing elements are unified, and car repair enterprises receive authorization from the UVZ design bureau.
UVZ car tilters: the only design in Russia
Unique stands operate in the painting and delivery shop of Uralvagonzavod — tilters that turn the assembled car over for painting and finishing. The design was developed by the employees of the enterprise themselves. According to the plant, there are no analogues in Russia.
Painting at UVZ is three-layer: gray primer, then yellow enamel, then green. Different colors of layers allow the customer to check the thickness and uniformity of the coating on site.
- Specifications of eight-axle gondola cars "Ural" and "BAM"
- Manufacturer: JSC "NPK "Uralvagonzavod", Nizhny Tagil
- Developer: Ural Design Bureau of Car Building
- Development partner: Federal Freight Company
- Type: eight-axle gondola car
- Carrying capacity: 151 tons
- Service life: 32 years
- Date of launch of the first train: January 2026
- Main application direction: eastern range — Trans-Siberian Railway and BAM
Over 1.2 million units of railway equipment have rolled off the UVZ assembly line in 90 years of operation, including about 50 thousand units of innovative rolling stock. For comparison: the carrying capacity of a standard four-axle gondola car is about 70 tons — "eight-axle cars" exceed it by more than twice with the same number of cars in the train.