As Alstom delivers 300 WAG12B electric locomotives to Indian Railways at the Nagpur facility, the national transporter’s ability to move big freight trains at faster speeds just got increased.
Alstom is a French multinational producer of rolling stock. The 300th e-loco was launched from Alstom’s locomotive maintenance depot in Nagpur, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in December of last year.
These locos, known as WAG-12B by Indian Railways, are capable of hauling 6,000-tonne rakes at a peak speed of 120 kilometres per hour. Alstom India is sending 800 high-powered double-section locomotives with 12,000 HP (9MW) for freight operations as part of a 3.5 billion euro contract.
Alstom also tweeted, “The 300th e-loco for Indian Railways was flagged off from @AlstomIndia’s locomotive #maintenance depot in Nagpur today! Alstom is supplying @RailMinIndia with 800 high-powered double-section #freight locomotives of 12,000 HPâ€. Alstom India Managing Director Olivier Loison also added, how the 300th loco delivery is a great milestone for them, and that the collaboration will continue to boost the nation’s logistic capabilities as they continue to deploy new locomotives.
The WAG-12B locomotives are being produced in Madhepura (Bihar), one of India’s largest integrated Greenfield manufacturing complexes, as part of a joint venture between Indian Railways and Alstom.
This is the most significant Foreign Direct Investment project in the Indian railway sector. The plant has an established capacity of 120 locomotives annually, and Alstom has gradually achieved approximately 90 percent of that.
Coal, cement, food grains, fertilizers, petrochemical goods, minerals, and postal/parcel services were among the primary commodities transported by these e-locos throughout 17 states and two Union Territories.
The Quick Response Team (PRT) is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The facility features 12 maintenance tracks equipped with cutting-edge technology. The depot is outfitted with a Centred Fleet Monitoring (CFM) system that allows for remote fleet monitoring via the Health Hub and Train Tracer system.
It also contains green elements such as rainwater collection, a zero discharge effluent treatment plant, 100% LED lighting, daylight panels, vegetation, and plans for a 1 MW rooftop solar plant.
Also Read: Indian Railways Produce a Record-Breaking 785 Electric Locomotives by End of January 2023
With its capacity to move heavier loads at quicker speeds, the Alstom WAG12B electric locomotive has shown to be a capability multiplier. AS Alstom delivers 300 WAG12B electric locomotives to Indian Railways at the Nagpur facility, India has become the sixth country in the world to produce high horsepower locomotives indigenously, thanks to the production of these powerful e-locos.
Source: Alstom
