Indian Railways places $3 billion contract for new electric locomotives

Credit: Siemens Mobility

Siemens Mobility has received an order for 1,200 locomotives of 9,000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways, marking the single largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and single largest order in the history of Siemens India. Siemens Mobility will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives. Deliveries are planned over an eleven-year period, and the contract includes 35 years of full-service maintenance. The locomotives will be assembled in the Indian Railways factory in Dahod, in the state of Gujarat, India. Maintenance will be performed in four Indian Railways depots located in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur, and Pune. Locomotive assembly and maintenance will be implemented together with the staff of Indian Railways. The contract has a total value of approximately €3 billion, excluding taxes and price variation.

“Siemens is supporting the sustainable transformation of India’s transportation sector as the country seeks to almost double freight capacity on its railways,” Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens, said. “I’m proud that this major order will help India achieve its ambitious goal of creating the world’s largest green rail network, as our locomotives will save more than 800 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over their lifecycle.”

“These new locomotives will help increase freight transport on one of the world’s largest rail networks, as they can replace between 500,000 to 800,000 trucks over their lifecycle,” Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, said. “This historic order cements a firm commitment from Indian Railways to achieve 100% electrification of rail traffic in India. Our partnership will further strengthen Siemens Mobility’s position in India and support the country’s expanding railway market.”

The new locomotives

The state-of-the-art locomotives will be used for freight transport throughout the Indian Railways network and are specified to haul loads of 4,500 tonnes at a maximum speed of 120km per hour. Producing 9,000 HP, they will be one of the most powerful freight locomotives in the world. They will be equipped with advanced propulsion systems that are also produced locally in Siemens Mobility factories in India. Siemens Mobility will use the power of its Railigent platform to deliver highest availability and performance.

India has one of the world’s largest rail transport and logistics networks used daily by 24 million passengers on more than 22,000 trains. Additionally, the Government of India plans to increase the share of railways for freight transport to 40-45% from the current approximately 27%. India is one of the few countries in the world with an almost fully electrified rail network. As one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for rail, India has clear sustainability and technology goals. Indian Railways and the Indian Government are clearly committed to invest in state-of-the-art products to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2030. The 9,000 HP project stands testimony to this. As technology leader, Siemens Mobility is firmly committed to deliver world-class solutions to help transform rail in India.