GE Transportation has delivered the first of 1,000 diesel-electric Evolution-series locomotives to India as part of a $2.5bn contract with Indian Railways.
The new diesel-electric locomotive was designed at the John F Welch Technology Center in Bangalore and is compliant with the UIC1 international standard on emissions.
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GE is set to deliver the first 40 locomotives from its facility located in the US, while the remaining 960 vehicles will be built at the company’s new Brilliant Factory plant in Marhowra in the Indian state of Bihar, which is scheduled to open next year.
The original contract was signed in 2015 and forms part of the Government of India’s wider public private partnership programme to upgrade the country’s rail infrastructure.
GE South Asia president and CEO Vishal Wanchoo said: “Through this project, we’re creating a robust supply chain ecosystem in India and will localise more than 70% of all content.
“We’re proud of the more than 6,000 jobs that have been created by GE in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and remain committed to our work in the country.”
GE Transportation is currently manufacturing two separate locomotive models for Indian Railways, the dual cab ES43ACmi locomotive with a 4,500HP engine and the ES57ACi, which features a 6,000HP engine.
The development of the second locomotive is currently underway, with production scheduled to begin later this year.
Image: The first Evolution locomotive arrives at India’s Mundra Port. Photo: courtesy of General Electric.
