Indian Railways has issued a Letter of Award (LoA) for manufacturing and maintenance of 9000 HP electric freight locomotives to Siemens, India. The estimated value of the order is ₹26,000 crore (around $ 3.2 billion), excluding taxes and price variation.
About 1,200 high horse power (9000 HP) electric locomotives will be manufactured over a period of 11 years, while the maintenance period will be 35 years.
Agreement with Siemens India will be signed within 30 days of the issue of LoA, with proto-type locomotives to be delivered in the coming two years.
Siemens, selected as technological partner, will manufacture these locomotives at Dahod locomotive factory in Gujarat and maintain at four depots at Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur, Pune, according to an official statement.
Suitable economic drivers will ensure complete indigenization of the manufacturing which in turn will lead to development of ancillary manufacturing units making it a true ‘Make in India’ initiative. The project will also lead to development of the Dahod region and generate employment.
These high horse power locomotives will be the future workhorse for freight operation for Indian Railways. These locomotives are planned for use primarily on the western dedicated freight corridor and on graded sections of Railways for hauling container freight trains in double stack configuration of 4500 Tonnes at 75 kmph at 1 in 200 gradient and improve the average speed of such trains to around 50-60 kmph over the existing 20-25 kmph.
The quantum jump in the operating parameters will lead to increase in throughput and also boost line capacity. These locomotives, equipped with state-of-the-art IGBT based propulsion technology, will provide savings in energy consumption due to regenerative braking technology.
