Indian Railways receives 500th diesel-electric locomotive from Wabtec

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Posted: 23 February 2023 | Global Railway Review |

The locomotive delivery marks a huge milestone in the ‘Make in India’ programme to develop and supply 1,000 fuel-efficient Evolution Series locomotives for Indian Railways.

The Wabtec India Team with Indian Railways and Saran District Administration at the factory in Marhowra, Birhar.

Wabtec Corporation has delivered the 500th Evolution Series locomotive to Indian Railways, marking another milestone in the 2015 $2.5 billion agreement as part of the Government of India’s Public Private Partnership ‘Make in India’ programme to develop and supply 1,000 fuel-efficient, emission-compliant diesel-electric Evolution Series locomotives.

Dr. Sujatha Narayan, Senior Vice President and India Region Leader, said: “This achievement is a major step in Wabtec’s growth as the leading rail industry supplier in this country and demonstrates the commitment to the ‘Make in India’ initiative. It also is a tribute to the dedication of our team in India, as well as the support from the community, government, suppliers, and other Wabtec sites around the world. Their efforts are positioning the company and our customers for success in the region for years to come.”

Locomotives with cutting-edge technology

The locomotives’ cabs feature ergonomic comforts for the pilots in terms of air conditioning, seats, noise reduction, heated wind screens, urinals, and digital displays. 

The 500th locomotive is a 4,500-horsepower, dual-cab locomotive. To date, Wabtec has delivered 438 of those models and 62 of the 6,000-horsepower, single-cab locomotives to Indian Railways. These locomotives are digitally enabled and use cutting-edge technology to deliver fuel efficiency and ensure compliance to international emission standard UIC1. The locomotives’ cabs feature ergonomic comforts for the pilots in terms of air conditioning, seats, noise reduction, heated wind screens, urinals, and digital displays. 

Indian Railways is using the locomotives extensively for heavy-haul and container operations across the country. The fleet is demonstrating high levels of availability and reliability, which is enabling significant growth in freight revenue.

Sandeep Selot, Managing Director of Wabtec Locomotives Private Limited, said: “The successful and timely execution of Marhowra project is a major milestone in the success of the public private partnership. This partnership also helped to operationalise modern service sheds in Roza and Gandhidham. It also has been instrumental in creating jobs and establishing a local supplier footprint, as well as establishing a community outreach programme.”

Manufacturing plant in Marhowra, Bihar

The locomotive delivery celebration took place at Wabtec’s plant in Marhowra, Bihar. The state-of-art manufacturing plant in Marhowra started operations in 2018. It leverages global lean manufacturing processes and has the capacity to deliver 120 locomotives per year. The plant also set a new benchmark in having a diverse and talented workforce from Bihar and Jharkhand.

Additionally, Wabtec’s outreach programmes in and around the Marhowra factory have fueled vocational training and educational equity enabling community development in the region. The programmes have prepared and supported over 600 female entrepreneurs. It also trained engineers from the local polytechnic with smart welding skills needed to secure employment.