Ural Locomotives
Corporate brand
UnclaimedRussian railway engineering company producing electric locomotives and electric multiple-unit trains.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Ural Locomotives is a Russian railway engineering company based at the Ural Railway Engineering Plant in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, near Yekaterinburg. Its principal activities are the development and manufacture of electric freight locomotives and electric multiple-unit passenger trains for the Russian railway market. The company was established in 2010 as a joint venture between Sinara Transport Machines and Siemens, with Siemens holding a 49 percent stake. The venture combined Sinara’s Russian industrial and railway-manufacturing base with Siemens railway technology and was intended to support the domestic production of modern electric locomotives using asynchronous traction systems. The company’s industrial base predates the Ural Locomotives joint venture. The Ural Railway Engineering Plant was incorporated into the Sinara Group in 2004, and in October of that year it began working with Russian Railways on the development of a domestic site for electric freight locomotive production. The location was strategically significant because Soviet-era production of direct-current electric locomotives had historically been concentrated in Tbilisi, Georgia. Ural Locomotives therefore became part of a broader Russian effort to establish and expand domestic locomotive manufacturing capacity. Before the joint venture was formed, the plant upgraded VL11 electric locomotives and developed the 2ES6 freight locomotive. The first 2ES6 was produced by 2006, and the model received certification for operation by 2008. By 2009, the factory had installed capacity for as many as 60 twin-unit locomotives annually. These activities created the production and engineering foundation for the subsequent Siemens partnership. The joint venture’s first major product was the 2ES10 electric freight locomotive, developed with Siemens technology-transfer support. The first 2ES10 unit was produced in early 2011. Electrical traction components associated with the program were manufactured at Siemens’ Saint Petersburg facility, while final locomotive production was based at the Ural Railway Engineering Plant. The company later broadened its railway portfolio beyond freight locomotives to include electric multiple-unit trains. Siemens ended its involvement in Russia in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sinara Group assumed full control of Ural Locomotives approximately one month later. The change ended the original joint-venture ownership structure and marked a shift toward wholly Russian control of the company. After Siemens’ withdrawal, the former partner brought a legal claim alleging that Ural Locomotives had failed to pay 799 million rubles for equipment supplied under a 2018 contract, together with additional penalties. Ural Locomotives remains oriented primarily toward Russian railway customers and state-linked rail infrastructure programs. In September 2024, an order was reported for 41 trainsets for operation on the Moscow–Saint Petersburg high-speed railway, following an earlier order for two pre-series trains. This expanded the company’s role from conventional electric locomotive production into high-speed passenger rolling stock. Its overall positioning is that of a strategically important domestic railway-equipment manufacturer serving Russia’s freight electrification, passenger rail, and transport-localization objectives.
History
Ural Locomotives developed from the industrial base of the Ural Railway Engineering Plant in Verkhnyaya Pyshma. The plant was incorporated into Sinara Group in 2004, when it began cooperating with Russian Railways on the creation of a Russian production site for electric freight locomotives. The initiative addressed a historical gap in domestic manufacturing: during the Soviet period, direct-current electric locomotives had been produced in Tbilisi, Georgia, outside the territory of the Russian Federation. The early production program included the modernization of VL11 electric locomotives. The plant also developed the 2ES6 electric freight locomotive, producing its first unit by 2006. The model was certified for service by 2008. By 2009, the factory had installed capacity to produce up to 60 twin-unit locomotives per year, establishing a substantial industrial platform before the formation of the later international partnership. In 2010, Sinara Transport Machines and Siemens formed Ural Locomotives as a joint venture. Siemens held 49 percent, while the arrangement gave the Russian side a domestic manufacturing base and Siemens a route for transferring railway traction technology into Russian production. The venture focused on electric freight locomotives using asynchronous traction. Its principal early result was the 2ES10, the first unit of which was produced in early 2011. Components for the electrical traction system were produced at Siemens’ Saint Petersburg plant, while locomotive assembly and manufacturing took place at the Ural Railway Engineering Plant. The company’s development reflected Russian efforts to increase domestic railway-equipment capability and modernize electric freight traction. Its portfolio subsequently expanded beyond freight locomotives to electric multiple-unit passenger trains, giving the manufacturer a role in both heavy-haul rail transport and passenger rolling-stock programs. The ownership structure changed after Siemens announced its exit from Russia in May 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sinara Group took full control of Ural Locomotives about a month later. The departure also generated a contractual dispute: Siemens sued Ural Locomotives over an alleged failure to pay 799 million rubles for equipment supplied under a 2018 agreement, with additional penalty charges claimed. In September 2024, Ural Locomotives was associated with an order for 41 trainsets intended for the Moscow–Saint Petersburg high-speed railway. The order followed two pre-series trains and demonstrated the company’s movement into high-speed passenger equipment in addition to its established electric-locomotive business. The company’s present identity is consequently tied to Russian railway localization, electric traction, and the development of domestically controlled passenger and freight rolling stock.
- 2024
High-speed trainset order reported
[1]An order for 41 trainsets was placed after two pre-series trains for planned Moscow–Saint Petersburg high-speed railway service.
- 2022
Sinara Group assumes full control
[1]Siemens exited Russia in May, and Sinara Group took full control of Ural Locomotives approximately one month later.
- 2011
First 2ES10 produced
[1]The first 2ES10 electric freight locomotive was manufactured under the Siemens–Sinara cooperation program.
- 2010
Ural Locomotives joint venture established
[1]Sinara Transport Machines and Siemens formed Ural Locomotives, with Siemens holding a 49 percent stake and supporting technology transfer for asynchronous-traction locomotives.
- 2008
2ES6 receives operating certification
[1]The 2ES6 electric freight locomotive was certified for use.
- 2006
First 2ES6 locomotive produced
[1]The plant produced the first unit of the 2ES6 electric freight locomotive.
- 2004
Ural Railway Engineering Plant joins Sinara Group
[1]The plant that later became Ural Locomotives’ manufacturing base was incorporated into Sinara Group and began cooperation with Russian Railways on domestic electric freight locomotive production.
Products and positioning
Russian railway engineering manufacturer focused on domestically produced electric traction and passenger rolling stock, combining heavy industrial manufacturing with railway technology localization.
Electric freight locomotive · 2006
2ES6
The 2ES6 is an electric freight locomotive developed at the Ural Railway Engineering Plant as part of the effort to establish domestic Russian production of modern electric traction. The first unit was produced by 2006 and the locomotive was certified for operation by 2008. It formed an important foundation for the plant’s later large-scale manufacturing capability and preceded the Siemens-supported Ural Locomotives joint venture.
Electric freight locomotive · 2011
2ES10
The 2ES10 is an electric freight locomotive associated with the 2010 Sinara–Siemens joint venture. It uses asynchronous traction technology and was produced through a technology-transfer arrangement in which traction components were manufactured at Siemens’ Saint Petersburg facility and locomotive production was carried out at the Ural Railway Engineering Plant. The first unit was produced in early 2011.
Passenger rolling stock · 2024
High-speed electric multiple-unit trainsets
Ural Locomotives has expanded beyond freight locomotives into electric multiple-unit passenger trains. In 2024, the company was associated with an order for 41 trainsets intended for the Moscow–Saint Petersburg high-speed railway, following two pre-series trains. Detailed commercial product specifications are not established in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2024
Expand into high-speed passenger trainsetsProduct launchBackground
Ural Locomotives had historically been identified principally with electric freight locomotives but was also developing passenger rolling stock.
Action taken
An order for 41 trainsets was placed for planned Moscow–Saint Petersburg high-speed railway service, following two pre-series trains.
Aftermath
The order broadened the company’s reported role into high-speed passenger rolling stock.
2022
Sinara Group takes full ownership after Siemens withdrawalM&ABackground
Siemens exited Russia in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Action taken
Sinara Group assumed full control of Ural Locomotives approximately one month after Siemens’ exit.
Aftermath
The company continued under Russian control, while Siemens pursued a contractual lawsuit concerning alleged unpaid equipment invoices.
2010
Form a technology-transfer joint venture with SiemensStrategyBackground
The Russian railway industry sought domestic production of modern electric freight locomotives, while Sinara had an industrial manufacturing base and Siemens had relevant asynchronous-traction technology.
Action taken
Sinara Transport Machines and Siemens established Ural Locomotives, with Siemens holding 49 percent and supporting technology transfer and component production.
Aftermath
The arrangement produced the 2ES10 program and helped establish Ural Locomotives as a manufacturer of modern electric freight locomotives.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/ural-locomotives · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled