The Bryansk Machine-Building Plant (BMZ), which is part of Transmashholding, sent an updated version of the 2TE28 mainline diesel locomotive for testing in September 2026. The tests are aimed at confirming the validity of its certificate of conformity to the Eurasian Customs Union technical rules on the safety of railroad rolling equipment. Transmashholding confirmed the move on Sept. 16.
The locomotive’s importance is more than the development of another two-section diesel locomotive. The 2TE28 is built on the same domestic platform as the three-section 3TE28, which has been manufactured at BMZ since 2023. The new arrangement has an electropneumatic braking system, which gives the locomotive more precise control over train brakes and, significantly, means it can carry more types of trains.
The 2TE28 therefore represents an attempt to make a powerful heavy-haul diesel locomotive more versatile. The improved braking equipment will make the locomotive suitable for passenger trains as well, but its main job will remain freight hauling.
A 40-meter locomotive built around domestic power
The 2TE28 is a big machine. It is about 40 meters long between automatic coupler centers and has a service mass of about 294 tons. The locomotive is of the two-part type, and each section has a diesel-generator installation.
Each segment uses a diesel-generator unit 18-9DGM produced by the Kolomna Plant. The unit generates about 2,850 kW, or some 3,876 hp, bringing the total installed power of the full two-section locomotive to 5,700 kW.
Transmashholding’s technical literature confirms the same figures of 5,700 kW for the two-section version and a maximum design speed of 100 km/h. .
The 18-9DGM is of particular importance, as it is a Russian-designed and built powerplant. The engine was created by Transmashholding’s Engineering Center for Engine Building and is being produced in the Kolomna Plant, Transmashholding reports. The 18-9DGM is a major modernized member of the D49 family, entering the production schedule in 2023.
This powerplant also links the 2TE28 closely with the developmental strategy of the 3TE28. The three-section locomotive was developed for heavy freight work on non-electrified railroad lines, including the tough operating conditions of the Eastern Railroad Polygon in Russia.
Designed for BAM and Trans Siberian Railroad
The basic idea of the 3TE28 is inherited by the 3TE28, i.e., high tractive capability with the ability to work in difficult climatic and geographical situations.
Transmashholding states that its working temperature range is −50°C to +40°C, meaning the locomotive can be deployed in some of the hardest railroad conditions in Russia. The manufacturer cites challenging terrain and the Eastern Railroad Polygon, including sections related to the Baikal-Amur Mainline and Trans-Siberian Railroad, as the key applications for the 3TE28 family.
The profile of the railroad strongly influences the load of a two-section 2TE28 train able to pull a very heavy train. On relatively gentle sections, locomotive performance can support substantially heavier trains, while mountainous sections with steep gradients impose much lower limits. This is particularly significant on the BAM, where steep ascents and rough terrain might be the limiting factor in train operations.
The three-section 3TE28 is an example of how much the platform can do. Transmashholding said the three-section version can haul up to 18,300 tons on a 4‰ gradient, 8,700 tons at 9.3‰, and 7,100 tons at 11.5‰ critical gradient. Of course, the two-section 2TE28 has fewer hauling capabilities, since it has one less motorized portion.
Multiple-unit operation pushes power higher
The two-section locomotive is also capable of multiple-unit operation. This is a crucial characteristic for the railroads because trains are heavier than one locomotive can pull.
Two 2TE28 locomotives in tandem would have a combined installed power of 11,400 kW. This means operators can mix and match locomotives to suit the needs of a specific route, rather than being stuck with a fixed three-section locomotive.
The 2TE28 itself is already designed to be operated in multiple units as part of the wider 3TE28 platform.” Key features of the locomotive, according to Transmashholding, include multiple-unit operation, distributed brake control, and electronic monitoring of fuel consumption and other systems to improve operating efficiency.
The brake system is the major new feature
The most important difference in the September 2026 version is not its engine or traction system but its electropneumatic brake.
Unlike a normal entirely pneumatic design, electropneumatic braking allows brake orders to be sent electronically, which allows for quicker and more accurate coordination of braking over the whole train. According to BMZ, this allows the driver more exact control over the braking system of the locomotive.
This change has an important consequence. According to the manufacturer and industry reports, locomotives 2TE28 and 3TE28 fitted with electropneumatic brakes will be able to carry not only freight trains but also passenger trains whose coaches do not have autonomous energy-supply and heating systems.
That’s a significant difference: the new brake does not transform the 2TE28 into a specialized passenger locomotive. Rather, it removes a key operational restriction on the types of passenger rolling stock with which the locomotive can be employed.
From heavy freight locomotive to more versatile platform
The 2TE28 is therefore best understood as an expansion of the 3TE28 family rather than a completely new locomotive architecture. The platform, the 18-9DGM engine, the two-section configuration, and the heavy-haul capacity are closely connected to the known 3TE28.
The September testing is designed to certify the new setup. After the necessary confirmation has been completed, BMZ will be able to offer the 2TE28 and 3TE28 with the electropneumatic braking system, but buyers will still have the option to purchase the standard braking configuration.
That flexibility might be important for Russia’s non-electrified railroad network, especially the lengthy and punishing lines of Siberia and the Far East. The same family of domestic locomotives can be used for heavy freight traction, in multiple-unit combinations for extra power, and with proper brake equipment for a wider range of passenger trains.
The 2TE28 thus marks another step in the evolution of the 3TE28 platform: a 5,700-kW, 40-meter, two-section Russian diesel locomotive designed for severe conditions, but now being tested with equipment that significantly broadens its operational role.