India becomes sixth nation to manufacture high-power electric locos locally

The first WAG 12B e-loco was inducted for commercial services in May 2020 after it received certification from the Ministry of Railways and Commissioner of Railway Safety/RDSO in 2020. Till now, the French firm has delivered 50 such e-locos to the Indian Railways and the two locos have covered close to 2 million kilometres on the railway network.

India has become the 6th country in the world to join the club of countries producing high horsepower locomotives indigenously with these powerful e-locos being manufactured within the nation. Two ultramodern maintenance depots in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur and Maharashtra's Nagpur are also on the way.

The WAG 12B locos manufactured at Madhepura have 12,000 horsepower with a twin Bo-Bo design and are built to carry 6,000 tonnes of goods in one go at twice as faster than regular locomotives. Also, these locomotives are equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)-based propulsion technology. Apart from this, heat and noise reduction are another aspect of these locomotives.

"Alstom is proud to partner in India’s growth story. Today, as we look back at an eventful five-year journey, it gives me immense pride to state that we have made progress across a spectrum of spheres – technological, infrastructural and socio economic – alike," the report quoted Alstom India and South Asia MD Alain Spohr as saying.

Earlier, a joint venture was signed between Alstom and Indian Railways with 74:24 equity, under which India's largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facilities at Bohar's Madhepura was set up. The contract includes associated maintenance of the e-locos for over a period of 13 years.

Also, Alstom will deliver 75 units in FY 20/21 and 100 units annually starting next fiscal under the contract from its 250 acres manufacturing unit in Madhepura unit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 10, 2018, had flagged off the first e-loco from the Madhepura facility.

The Saharanpur depot is currently operational, which has a ‘Training Centre’ with a loco simulator and smart classrooms for skill development of railway employees and loco pilots. Till now, over 500 loco pilots from Indian Railways have been trained.

"This joint venture, the largest FDI project for Indian Railways, has only strengthened our spirit to employ world-class technology for a safer, faster and more carbon-efficient service. As we continue to strengthen the Indo-French partnership, we hope to see our collaborations bring real-time impacts on the lives of the people," the business daily quoted Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain as saying.