In the year 2015, Alstom bagged a contract worth €3.5 billion from Indian Railways to supply 800 double-section electric locomotives of 12,000 HP capable of hauling almost 6000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 kmph.
As per Alstom, these e-Locos are planned to be deployed for operations on major freight routes, including the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) have been transforming India's heavy freight transportation landscape.
Since 2015, significant progress has been made on the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in the Indian Railways sector. With these powerful e-Locos being manufactured within the country, India became the sixth country in the world to join the league of nations producing high horsepower locomotives indigenously.
Indian Railways First WAG 12B e-Loco developed by Alstom
1- In May 2020, the first WAG 12B e-Loco was inducted for commercial services. It was certified by the Ministry of Railways and Commissioner of Railway Safety, Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
2- To date, Alstom has successfully manufactured and delivered 50 such e-Locos to the Indian Railways. They have also covered nearly 2 million kilometres on the railway network.
3- The locomotives manufactured at Madhepura of 12,000 HP with a twin Bo-Bo design are engineered to run at a speed that is twice as faster than regular locomotives and are built to carry 6,000 tonnes of goods in one go.
4- The WAG 12B e-locos are equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) based propulsion technology and use regenerative braking, reducing energy consumption.
5- With WAG 12B e-locos, Alstom will be introducing freight trains that emit less heat and traction noise.
6- The Prima T8 technology of WAG 12B e-locos makes operation comfortable and flexible in extreme temperatures (−50 °C to 50 °C).
7- The WAG 12B e-locos are also equipped with spacious cabins for pilots to work comfortably and also houses novel features such as climate control systems, air conditioners, food preparation and storage facilities and toilets.
8- With 1676mm of Broad Gauge, the said locos are designed to take smooth turns even at the sharpest of curves. These e-locos also use an eight-axle design that is expected to enhance their performance.
Electric Locomotive Factory at Bihar's Madhepura
As per the contract, a joint venture was established between the Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways with 26% equity and Alstom with 74% equity to set up one of India’s largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facilities at Madhepura, Bihar. The contract also incorporates the maintenance of the e-locos for over a period of 13 years.
The e-locomotive facility at Bihar's Madhepura is spread over 250 acres of land, with a manufacturing capacity of 120 locomotives per annum. The industrial site has been built in accordance with the international standards of safety and quality. In the FY 2020-21, Alstom will deliver 75 units and 100 units per year starting next Fiscal Year.
The contract also contains setting up of two ultramodern maintenance depots-- Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh and Nagpur, Maharashtra-- equipped with latest technologies and features to maintain country's most advanced freight locomotives at significantly lower costs.
The depot in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur is currently operational housing a Training Centre. To date, more than 500 loco pilots from Indian Railways have received the training. The depot in Maharashtra's Nagpur will be operational soon.
On 10 April 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first-ever e-Loco of 12000 HP from the Madhepura facility. Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi had stated that only a few countries across the world use locomotives of such scale and power for freight transport. The 1200 HP engines will upscale the speed of freight transport in India to two times faster.
Indian Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal had stated that Indian Prime Minister Modi has approved a program for 100% electrification of Indian Railways and with this approval, India has the potential to be the largest railways in the world to be 100% electrified with 120,000 track kms pan India.
Highlighting India’s Green Railways vision, he had also stated that by the year 2030 India may be the world's first 100% green railway with net-zero emission.
It is interesting to note that the joint venture between Alstom and the Indian Railways has created over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in various Indian states. Alstom has also invested for the upliftment of the communities across seven villages in and around Madhepura in the field of education, healthcare, women empowerment and skilling. To date, over 20,000 lives have been bettered with the various initiatives by Alstom in the region.
Source: Alstom
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