Indian Railways orders $42 million worth of traction equipment from ABB

A current Indian Railways' passenger train at Jalgaon Junction station

ABB has won its largest traction equipment order in India, supplying over $42 million worth of state-of-the-art converters for electric locomotives.

The converters are custom designed for Indian Railways and will be manufactured at one of ABB’s factories for locomotive applications in Nelamangala, Southern India.

The traction solution is based on the latest technology to bring more reliable trains to passengers, while increasing sustainable transport use by moving to electric vehicles and helping rail operators achieve significant operational improvements.

“We are delighted to be contributing to the electrification of India’s rail network with ABB’s locally-manufactured solutions,” said ABB CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer. “By adopting advanced technologies, India is achieving rapid improvements in growth and productivity; shaping its economy for the era of digitalisation.”

The traction equipment currently drives more than 250 electric locomotives operated by Indian Railways in both passenger and freight services. In India, more than 20 per cent of three-phase electric locomotives are equipped with traction converters from ABB.

“We are privileged to work with Indian Railways on the electrification of the domestic rail network in India – the fourth largest rail network in the world,” said Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director, ABB India. “This order will help to improve rail efficiency, so that passengers travelling in India will reach their destination on time and in comfort.”

In 2018, the Indian government approved plans to fully electrify the railways by 2022.