French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has supplied the 500th electric locomotive to Indian Railways.
The 500th Prima T8 WAG12B locomotive, entirely manufactured in India, was dispatched from Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Madhepura, Bihar.
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Alstom is providing 800 high-powered, double-section Prima T8 locomotives with a 12,000hp capacity for freight services, under a €3.5bn ($3.7bn) contract.
These locomotives can pull approximately 6,000t rakes at speeds up to 120km/h.
Featuring Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) based propulsion technology, the e-locomotives offer significant energy savings through regenerative braking.
Alstom has also established two “ultramodern” maintenance depots in Saharanpur and Nagpur, equipped with predictive technologies for enhanced availability and reduced maintenance costs of these freight locomotives.
Alstom India managing director Olivier Loison said: “Our WAG 12B electric locomotives powered by cutting-edge technology are fully manufactured in India and provide enhanced speed, efficiency, and reliability of freight haulage across the country.
“The delivery of our 500th e-loco underscores our commitment to modernise India’s railway infrastructure, especially for freight, thereby driving economic growth.”
The WAG-12B locomotives are produced at the integrated greenfield manufacturing site in Madhepura, Bihar, a joint venture between Alstom and Indian Railways.
This initiative is said to represent the “largest” Foreign Direct Investment in the Indian rail sector.
The facility has a production capacity of 120 locomotives per year, with Alstom achieving nearly 90% localisation.
This project is an example of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, with more than 85% of components sourced locally, according to Alstom.
It places India among a select group of countries that can produce high-horsepower locomotives in-house and enhances technological expertise within the nation, the company added.
The e-locomotives have already transported key commodities such as coal, cement, food grains, fertilisers, petrochemical products, minerals, and postal parcels over 120 million kilometres across India.
Recently, Alstom signed a two-year contract with Swedish state-owned rail operator SJ for the maintenance of night trains.
The agreement covers the maintenance of 75 carriages and 12 RC6 locomotives servicing routes between Stockholm, Umea, Lulea, and Narvik.
