Russia-based steelmaking and mining giant Evraz has announced that it has successfully completed the preliminary qualifications required to become a supplier of railway wheels for the German national railway company Deutsche Bahn. As a result, Evraz subsidiary Evraz Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant (Evraz NTMK) is now certified as a solid-rolled wheel manufacturer in accordance with EN13262 and DB AG - BN 918 277, a Deutsche Bahn internal standard. Evraz NTMK has been qualified as a class 2 wheel manufacturer, which includes the most complex freight traffic class V wheels.
Performance tests of the wheels still need to be held before final approval is given, and so in 2013 EVRAZ NTMK will submit a pilot batch to Deutsche Bahn. Subject to the positive outcome of tests in 2014, EVRAZ will be able to participate in regular tenders to supply wheels to Deutsche Bahn.
In 2012, EVRAZ NTMK was awarded with an AAR (American Association of Railroads) provisional certificate, was included in the list of suppliers approved by AAR, and received permission to supply its first 64,000 wheels to the North American market.