GolAZ has been appointed as the main supplier of buses for the Sochi Olympics: will everything be fine?

Andrey Filippov, photo by the author

The main Russian premiere of ComTrans-2010 in the bus segment was, of course, GolAZ-5251. The reaction to the new product was mixed then. Someone tried to point a finger at the poisonous air suspension, someone grimaced, looking at the “wavy” side, but these were in the minority. Basically, adequate people paid attention to the car, understanding that the prototype, essentially a running model, was brought to the exhibition not to demonstrate the hardware, but for completely different purposes. Show the new concept of an intercity bus and the prospects for its development.

Gemini brothers

I don’t know about anyone, but for me intercity buses have always been associated with the Hungarian Ikarus 200 series. It was on these cars that I went on excursions as a schoolboy, and as a student I made trips from Moscow to Minsk and back. Then it seemed to me that the domestic “classmate” - LAZ-699R - was not even close to the “200”. But time passed, and GolAZ-LiAZ-5256 came to replace the rapidly aging Ikarus buses. Over the past years, the car has been restyled several times, in full accordance with similar phenomena of the base LiAZ-5256. But…

Market requirements are changing. How long ago were 12-meter cars considered big in our country? But new fashion dictates a further increase in length and passenger capacity. In response to these requests, the hero of our article was born.

Currently, two GolAZ-5251 buses are known to the general public - silver and burgundy. And if you don’t delve into the essence, there are few external differences between GolAZ-5251 No. 1 and No. 2. Firstly, the window vents disappeared, and, naturally, an air conditioner casing appeared on the roof. Secondly, the windshield wiper has become a fan type. And thirdly, imitation glazing appeared above the doors. That's all…

In reality, of course, there are more changes. Instance No. 1 is equipped with a YaMZ-656 engine, and in fact an old YaMZ-236, brought to Euro 3. I already explained the presence of this rarity on the new car at the beginning of the article: the first “5251” is a RUNNING LAYOUT for testing certain ideas and He simply doesn’t need a “show-off” engine.

But in engine compartment No. 2 there is a MAN D0836 LOH55 - at the moment the only possible power unit. So far, the OTTS has been received for it, and the installation batch of GolAZ-5251 will be equipped with this particular engine.

There are also differences in the chassis. In the manufacture of No. 1, a standard LiAZ-5256 chassis was used, which was first sawn and then an insert was welded into it, thereby increasing the wheelbase to 6600 mm.

Bus No. 2 has already been created on a promising self-propelled chassis, the essence of which is a modular design. LiAZ assembles the front and rear parts, after which, connecting them with a temporary insert, it sends it to GolAZ. And here they will weld the middle and integrate the resulting chassis into the body.

By the way, the factory warned us that we could forget about No. 1. He completed his mission and is unlikely to appear in public again. Now its main task is to become the carrier of the promising YaMZ-536.

Where do the firewood come from?

In 2006, a new model appeared in the GolAZ production line - the 15-meter, three-axle GolAZ-6228, on a Scania chassis. However, since 2008, the production of these machines has ceased, and the technological equipment intended for this has been idle. So Golitsyno decided to make maximum use of unused capacity when creating a new bus.

Therefore, GolAZ-5251 and GolAZ-6228 have many unified parts - front and rear masks, roof and sidewalls. But in the instrument panel, only the shape of the panel itself remained unchanged. The devices, their location, the placement of keys and buttons - everything is different. Even the handbrake moved to the left “window sill”.

Now we are mastering new technologies for assembling bodies. For example, the sides are now glued to the frame. Moreover, having achieved a waviness of 0.2 mm/m, it was possible to significantly save putty and abandon the straightening process. The pillars between the luggage compartment hatches have disappeared, and the glazing has become “aquarium-like”. Based on the totality of all implementations, labor intensity decreased by 12%, which in turn led to a reduction in the cost of the bus.

Already from the third copy, a roof made of composite materials – aluminium-plastic – appeared. It is lighter, more durable and is white by default. Painting in the customer's color is an option.

The corrosion resistance of GolAZ-5251 has also increased; the service life of the body is now 12 years. True, the last indicator is quite controversial. Personally, I hope that we will begin to value passengers in action, and not in words, and the bus fleet will be updated much more often.

But that is not all. I believe you know who is the general sponsor of the upcoming Olympics in Sochi. Yes, it's Scania. And do you think the plant’s chances of winning the tender for the supply of buses to service the Olympic Games are greatly increased if the body is installed on a Scandinavian chassis? Golitsyno thinks the same thing, so by 2012 the plans include a GolAZ-5251 on a Scania chassis.

In the near future, it is planned to increase the capacity of the luggage compartments. If now it is 6 m3, then in the future it will grow to 8 m3. This is planned to be achieved by replacing the standard tank from LiAZ-6213 with a new one of original shape. However, even with current performance, GolAZ-5251 is ahead of some of its more famous Western classmates.

Ahead there is a peculiar “growth” of the bus by half a meter in length and 20 cm in height. As a result, the number of seats will increase to 55 and the luggage compartment will become larger. At the same time, the possibility of configuring the interior according to the requirements of a specific customer will expand - be it a toilet, a refrigerator or a kitchen with a wardrobe. It is assumed that, if necessary, the second door can be made double and a wheelchair lift can be installed in it.

The prospects for the line of power plants are interesting.
In addition to the mentioned MAN D0836 LOH55, there will be a choice of other engines. In 2011, a bus equipped with the latest in-line six YaMZ-536 with a displacement of 6650 cm3 and a power of 283 hp should be certified. and torque 1122 N.m at 1300–1600 min-1. And at the end of the same year, a version with a Cummins 6ISBe270 with a volume of 6700 cm3, about 272 “horses”, a torque of 925 N.m at 1200–1700 min-1 will appear, and already in mid-2012 it will become available to customers. In the long term, a modification with a MAN D2066 LOH05 engine with a power of 325 hp is being considered. But so far nothing has been heard about the “Manovsky” D0836 LOH40, announced at ComTrans-2010. Technical characteristics of the GolAZ-5251 bus

GolAZ buses: model range

Golitsyn Bus Plant (GolAZ) is a former Russian manufacturer of intercity and tourist class buses, located in the village of Malye Vyazemy, Odintsovo district, Moscow region. About the manufacturer Golitsyn Bus Plant (GolAZ) was founded in 1990, and in 1994, an enterprise in the Moscow region began licensed production of Mercedes-Benz O303 buses. Subsequently, the company was engaged in the production of models of its own design, and in 2000 it became part of the Ruspromavto holding (later renamed to the Group...

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GOLAZ, Intercity buses, Single buses, Front-engine buses, Suburban buses, Medium buses

Replacement?

That the GolAZ-5251 not only has the right to life, but will also be in demand is indisputable. It is not without reason that one of the incentives for the creation of this car was the numerous requests from potential customers for buses with a passenger capacity of 50 or more seats. And by and large, it is precisely for such buyers that it was created. But whether the new product will displace the GolAZ-LiAZ-5256 from the production line is another question.

Of course, GolAZ-5251 is more modern, more reliable and more comfortable. But not everyone needs to transport fifty people at a time. For example, on the route Tula - Ryazan there are sometimes not even ten people during the entire trip, so why are there 12.5 and especially 13-meter cars? And creating a fleet of only small or middle class buses will also not work - our passenger flows, so to speak, are “directed” by time of day and days of the week. So GolAZ-LiAZ turns out to be a kind of universal lifesaver for poor ATPs.

So there is no doubt about the peaceful coexistence of these two buses, at least in the near future. True, the pricing policy will most likely “kill” the GolAZ-LiAZ-5256 versions with imported engines, and accordingly will maintain the presence of the latter in the GolAZ-5251 engine compartment.

The vehicle for testing was provided by Russian Buses LLC - GAZ Group

Buses of Russia

Companies specializing in the production of buses are located in many countries. Enterprises from individual countries are of increased interest to Internet users and potential clients, including France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Germany, the USA, England, Sweden, the Republic of Belarus, China and many others. Manufacturing organizations from Russia are no exception. Advantages and disadvantages of Russian production Russian-made buses are an affordable solution for many…

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