Think Railways

“United Wagon Company” (RPC UWC) and Russian Railways have opened joint training centers for providing additional training to the staff of the Central Directorate for Infrastructure (CDI), Russian Railways' branch. The training centers will help develop the technology needed to operate rolling stock with improved technical and economic features. Three more centers are to be opened at the CDI regional directorates during 2015.

The new training centers are located at the operational railcar depots of the West Siberian, Krasnoyarsk and October Railways: Novokuznetsk-Severny, Krasnoyarsk-Vostochny and St. Petersburg-Sortirovochny-Moscow. The training will give depot staff the practical skills needed for maintaining and repairing freight cars equipped with Barber bogies.

The training programme has been specially designed by RPC UWC. During the classes, staff use an interactive electronic technical manual (IETM) for the freight bogie 18-9855 model, as well as training modelsof Barber bogies. Information and reference resources used as part of the training include textual and graphical information, 3Dmodels, electronic technical documentation and anonline operating and maintenance manual for the bogie. All materials used in the IETM are in line with the drawings and design-engineering documentation, meaning that the IETM accurately replicates how the system operates from all angles through 3D animation. It also reflects each step of the technological process.

In 2013, RPC UWC set up the first specialized training center for teaching the skills needed to properly maintainfreight cars equipped with Barber bogies in Chelyabinsk. The center is located at the site of Carriage Repair Company-2’s network training center and approximately 150 experts from more than 50 depots completed their training there.

Andrey Cherevko, Deputy Director of the West Siberian Infrastructure Directorate of the CDI, commented: "The technical and operational characteristics of cars are improving, and this is the driving force behind the modernization of the Russian fleet. The fleet structure is changing and the operating domain of innovative cars is expanding. This is why it is important weopen joint training centersin conjunction with the manufacturers of new rolling stock. The first-hand knowledge and maintenance skills staff gain from this training process significantly improves the quality of wagon maintenance and also shortens maintenance time”.