Alstom First e loco for India Official Images Feature Image

Indian Railways Get 12,000 HP Electric Locomotive; INR 20,000 Cr Project Will Deliver 800 Units

Here at Motoroids, we’ve got a thing for everything that has wheels and a engine (occasionally, without one). So when we heard about the new 12,000 hp electric locomotive, we couldn’t resist but share the news with you.

Alstom announced the completion of its first all-electric locomotive from its locomotive facility at Madhepura in the State of Bihar. This first locomotive is part of a €3.5 billion (INR 28,109 crore) order comprising 800 electric double-section locomotives signed in 2015. This agreement remains the largest Foreign Direct Investment in the railways sector to date. The facility is a Joint-Venture between Alstom (74%) and Indian Railways (26%).

The project cost also includes INR 1,300 crore for the setting up of the factory and two locomotive maintenance depots at Saharanpur (in Uttar Pradesh) and Nagpur (in Maharashtra).

The new electric locomotive was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Bihar’s Madhepura loco factory on Tuesday – April 10, 2018. Out of the 800 locomotives, first five will be imported, while the remaining 795 will be manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ programme.

Alstom – First e loco for India – Official Images (8)

Thanks to its 12,000 horsepower, each double section locomotive, part of Alstom’s Prima locomotives family, has a hauling capacity of 6,000 tonnes and speed of 120km/hr. The new locomotive is aimed to allow faster and safer movement of heavier freight trains across the country, thereby reducing congestion for passenger train services and freight. Prior to the introduction of this new 12,000 hp electric locomotive, the most powerful electric engine in India was of 6,000 hp.

Equipped with Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) based propulsion technology, these locomotives will be compliant with Indian standards of freight transport and will have the ability to endure tough Indian climate and conditions. With the introduction of this new locomotive, India has joined the list of nations such as Russia, China, Germany and Sweden, which have electric locomotives with capacity 12,000 hp and above.

Alstom – First e loco for India – Official Images (5)

Other projects

In another significant development, Alstom announced three new contracts worth approximately €75 million (INR 602 crore) – power supply contract from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), contract for new train sets from Chennai Metro Rail Corporation and another power supply contract from Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation.

Includes additional inputs from agencies

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top