Siemens Set To Bag Rs 20,000 cr Contract To Manufacture 1200 Electric Locomotives For Indian Railways At Dahod

Engineering firm Siemens has emerged as the lowest bidder for a project for manufacturing 1,200 electric locomotive of 9000 HP (horse power) worth over Rs 20,000 crore at Dahod in Gujarat.

Indian Railways had floated the tender for manufacturing and maintenance of 9,000 HP electric locomotives at Dahod in April this year.

''Siemens Limited has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for the 9000 HP electric locomotives project in Dahod, Gujarat, India,'' a BSE filing said.

Indian Railways is upgrading its electric locomotives from 6000HP to 9000HP as part of its rail electrification initiative.

Alstom and Siemens were in the race to bag over Rs 20,000 crore project of manufacturing the electric locomotives at Dahod workshop.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April laid the foundation stone for the manufacturing project of 9,000 HP electric locomotives at the Railway production unit in Dahod. The cost of the project is s estimated at around Rs 20,000 crore. It is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to over 10,000 people.

The Dahod workshop, established in 1926 for periodic overhaul of steam locomotives, is being upgraded to electric locomotive manufacturing unit with infrastructural improvements. The workshop is at present being used for overhauling various rolling stock of the Western Railways.

The production will be increased to 100 locomotives per annum in the fifth and the sixth year. Thereafter 160 locomotives will be manufactured per annum for five years till 2033-34.

9000 HP, 6 axle Co-Co Locomotive will be utilized all over Indian Railways Route for hauling 4,500 tonnes load with average speed of 75 km per hour while the maximum speed of these locomotives will be up to 120 km per hour.

Indian Railway expects delivery of the first locomotive from Dahod facility in early 2024. The locomotive will be manufactured using green energy and will have a green manufacturing tag. Dahod is a railway station on Delhi-Mumbai route.

Siemens has also build India's first indigenously-designed and produced integrated propulsion system and steel tank transformer to drive 9000 HP electric locomotive with the. This propulsion system is uniquely designed to suit requirements of the 9000 HP locomotive. Indian Railways is upgrading its electric locomotives from 6000HP to 9000HP as part of its rail electrification initiative.

The nominated Government Depots for maintenance with holding capacity of 300 each will be at Kharagpur (West Bengal), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Pune (Maharashtra).

(With inputs from PTI)