Train companies' exports gain steam

Chinese train manufacturers are seeing their exports increase quickly this year as the reputation of domestic innovations becomes stronger around the world.

China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co Ltd, one of the country's two leading train manufacturers, announced earlier this month it had signed an agreement with Pakistan's Ministry of Railways to sell 640 million yuan ($102.7 million) worth of locomotives to the country.

A worker assembles the chassis of a locomotive that will be exported to Tunisia in CSR Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co Ltd, in Nanjing in May. CSR has been exploring overseas markets at a fast pace in recent years. YE CHAO / XINHUA

That came a week after the State-owned enterprise won a bid to provide $400 million worth of electric locomotives to South African Transnet SOC Ltd, a large rail, port and pipeline company in that country.

That deal marked the first time Chinese electric trains have been introduced into the African market, and was the biggest order for equipment of this sort that a Chinese train maker has ever received from overseas.

"Considering this new opportunity in the African market, CSR will push forward its rail transportation equipment business and broaden its cooperation with local companies in Africa," said Xu Zongxiang, general manager at CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd.

CSR said that apart from product exports, the first batch of which will be delivered by the end of 2013, it will also provide technology used in the manufacture of electric locomotives to South Africa.

The promotion of technology in China's train-manufacturing industry has received a large amount of recognition in the international market.

China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corp, the country's second-largest train maker, received four patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month.