Indian Railways Gets India’s 1st 12,000 HP Electric Engine; Can Haul 6K Tonnes At 120 kmph!

A big success claimed by Indian Railways’ for ‘Make in India’ project, as the first WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive, manufactured under Narendra Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative recently departed from the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya railway station in Uttar Pradesh. 

How Did This Happen?

On Monday, the Indian Railways operationalised its most powerful ‘Made in India’ locomotive – a 12000 HP engine and now holds the position of sixth country in the world to join the elite club of producing high horsepower locomotives indigenously, the Ministry of Railways said.

The WAG12B (12000 HP) freight locomotive is powerful and is capable of high speed, thus, it is a significant addition to the Indian Railways network, according to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. 

Further, the train departed with WAG/12B-60027 at a speed of 100 Kmph from DDU at 2:08 PM in long haul formation for Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Barwadih Junction (BRWD) section of DDU and DHN divisions of East Central Railway zone.

Basically, the 12,000 HP electric locomotive is a first for Indian Railways. 

It has been manufactured as well as assembled at Alstom’s factory in Madhepura, located in the state of Bihar. 

Why Does It Holds A Significance In Indian Railways?

Moreover, the national transporter got the locomotive from Alstom as part of a 3.5 billion euros ‘Make in India’ deal. 

The WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive marks a significant milestone in Indian Railways bid to go green and reduce the carbon footprint.

Further, the WAG12-class locos will be used to power trains on Indian Railways’ Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) and conventional corridors. 

Basically, this project is a joint venture of the national transporter and Alstom.

Which involves the manufacturing of as many as 800 fully electric super-powered double-section locomotives as well as their maintenance for over a period of 11 years. 

Out of that, so far, eight such locomotives have been rolled out, while the others will be rolled out on an annual basis.

The locomotive achieved a maximum speed of 120 km per hour, during its trial run and it has a hauling power of up to 6,000 tonnes. 

Also, the electric loco makes use of low voltage cables as well as, it has LED lamps, making it a “green loco”. 

Additionally, the locomotive can withstand India’s extreme heat and humidity as well. 

The electric locomotive will lead to savings in the consumption of energy due to the use of regenerative braking as it is equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)-based propulsion technology.

How Will This Be Used In The Future?

This locomotive is said to be a game-changer for further movement of coal trains for Dedicated Freight Corridors.

According to the ministry, the new locomotive will as the most powerful electric locomotive in the world increase the speed of freight trains and will allow faster, safer and heavier freight trains to move across the country, thus reducing congestion in traffic.