Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah | |
---|---|
Built | Joint venture |
Operated | 2019 |
Location | Marhowra, Saran district, Bihar India |
Industry | Railway |
Products | Diesel Locomotive |
Area | 226 acres |
Owner(s) | General Electric & Ministry of Railways |
The Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah is a joint venture of GE Transportation, part of American company Wabtec, with Indian Railways for the production of 1000 high-power freight locomotives over a period of 10 years designed to run on Indian railway tracks. [1] This factory is located at Marhaura (also spelt as Marhowrah) and started manufacturing the locomotives from September 2018. [2]
The company is also setting-up two maintenance depots at Gandhidham in Gujarat and Roza in Uttar Pradesh. [3]
During Sep 2013, the Ministry of Railways received bids from six global firms: Siemens, Alstom, Bombardier, General Electric, CSR Corp and CNR Corp. [4] However, Indian Railways rejected the bid of both Chinese firms (CSR and CNR) for the two giant manufacturing projects in Bihar. [5]
In January 2014, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up an Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura and a Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) in Marhowra at an approximate cost of ₹1,293.57 crore (US$160 million) and ₹2,052.58 crore (US$260 million) respectively. [6]
On November 9, 2015, the Ministry of Railways awarded the contracts for Madhepura project and Marhaura project to Alstom and General Electric respectively in a collective amount of US $6 billion. This multi crore rupees deal was seen as the country's first FDI in the railway sector. [1]
General Electric’s first diesel locomotive arrived in India on October 11, 2017 from the US. [7] [3]
The factory is located at Marhaura, a town and an administrative sub-divisional area in Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. Marhaura is 81 km north of the state capital Patna. Chhapra Junction is the nearest major railway station approximately 18 km from this factory. [8]
As a joint venture company, both Indian Railways and GE Transportation are set to invest collectively a huge amount of US $2.5 billion for DLF. Indian Railways will hold 26% equity in the JV company subject to a maximum of ₹100 crore (US$13 million). [1] The estimated cost of 1000 locomotives will be around ₹14,656 crore (US$1.8 billion). GE Transportation will maintain the locomotives for 13 years, after which the Indian Railways will take over maintenance. [8]
There will be two types of diesel electric locos – 700 WDG 4G locos of 4,500 horsepower (HP) and 300 WDG 6G locos of 6,000 HP. [9] [10] [3]
The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems, initially designed to meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The first pre-production units were built in 2003. Evolution Series locomotives are equipped with either AC or DC traction motors, depending on the customer's preference. All are powered by the GE GEVO engine.
Prima is a family of railway diesel and electric locomotives built by Alstom. Manufacture of the type commenced in the late 1990s. By 2008, Alstom had reportedly sold 1,750 Prima locomotives. The second generation Prima II was launched in 2009. The Prima H3 diesel/battery hybrid locomotive was launched in 2013.
Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is an electric locomotive manufacturer based in India. The works are located at Chittaranjan in the Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Bengal, with an ancillary unit in Dankuni. The main unit is 32 km from Asansol and 237 km from Kolkata. CLW has stores and offices in Kolkata, as well as inspection cells in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore. It is the largest locomotive manufacturer unit in the world, producing 431 locomotives in 2019–20.
Rail Wheel Factory, Yelahanka (RWF) is a manufacturing unit of Indian Railways, producing wheels, axles and wheel sets of railroad wagons, coaches and locomotives for the use of Indian Railways and overseas customers is situated at Yelahanka, Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Marhaura is a town and an administrative sub-divisional area in Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is Marhaura. Marhaura was the industrial hub of Saran in the 1980s,.
The Indian locomotive class WAG-9 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1995 by ABB for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Goods traffic (G), 9th generation (9) locomotive. They entered service in 1996. A total of 4650 WAG-9 have been built at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), with more units being built at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW). It was the most powerful freight locomotive of its fleet until the formal introduction of the WAG-12. WAG9 TWIN was developed by CLW. It released WAG9 TWIN 38331-38332 on 12.10.2023 colored WAG12 locomotive liverty.
The Indian locomotive class WDG-4 is a type of six-axle (Co-Co) freight-hauling diesel-electric locomotive with AC electric transmission designed by General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel in 1997–1998 for Indian Railways, where they are classed as WDG-4. Derived from the EMD SD70MAC, it is powered by a 4,000 hp (3,000 kW) 16-cylinder EMD 710G3B prime mover. Thirteen were built by EMD as order #958647, and a further eight were exported in kit form and assembled in India. The class entered service in 1999. This locomotive is also famous for, and can be identified by the distinct Jet Aeroplane-like sounding capability of its EMD 710 prime mover.
The Indian locomotive class WDP-4 is a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive with AC electric transmission designed by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and built by both GM-EMD and under license by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) of Varanasi, India for Indian Railways as the classes WDP4, WDP4B and WDP4D. The GT46PAC is a passenger version of the previous Indian Railways EMD GT46MAC freight locomotive. The locomotive has a 16-cylinder 710G3B diesel engine and is one of the fastest diesel-electric locomotives in service in Indian Railways.
The ALCO DL560C is a series of diesel-electric locomotive with AC electric transmission designed by the American Locomotive Company and produced under license by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) Varanasi, India for Indian Railways as their classes WDM-2, WDM-3A/2C, WDM-3D and WDG-3A for operation in India. The locomotive is fitted with a 16-cylinder ALCO 251 B,C diesel engine. In the early 1960s Indian Railways needed a reliable diesel workhorse to gradually replace its steam locomotive fleet. Equal numbers of ALCO's DL560C and EMD's G16 were chosen for trials. More locomotives of each of these were purchased for more trials. Indian Railways was keen on producing these locomotives in the country rather than depending on imports. EMD did not agree for a Transfer-of-Technology, while ALCO did. Thus ALCO DL560C was chosen for the job due to its easy maintenance, reliability and simple operation. And from then on vast numbers of this loco in different configurations have been produced and remain the main diesel traction power of Indian Railways.
The GE PowerHaul is a class of mainline diesel-electric locomotives designed by General Electric. Thirty locomotives were ordered by Freightliner in 2007; the first locomotive was completed in July 2009 at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania, plant.
The Indian locomotive class WAG-12B is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 2017 by Alstom with technological collaboration with Indian Railways. The model name stands for wide gauge(W), Alternating Current (A), Goods traffic (G) locomotive-12 . They entered trial service in 2019. A total of 370 WAG-12B have been built at Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura, Bihar, India.
The Indian Government is undertaking several initiatives to upgrade its aging railway infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. The Railway Ministry has announced plans to invest ₹5,400,000 crore to upgrade the railways by 2030. Upgrades include 100% electrification of railways, upgrading existing lines with more facilities and higher speeds, expansion of new lines, upgrading railway stations, introducing and eventually developing a large high-speed train network interconnecting major cities in different parts of India and development of various dedicated freight corridors to cut down cargo costs within the country.
The Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura is a joint venture of Alstom SA of France with Indian Railways for the production of 800 high-power locomotives over a period of 11 years designed to run on Indian tracks at 120 km/h (75 mph). The manufacturing has started on 11 October 2017.
Diesel Loco Shed, Gooty is an engine shed located in Gooty, Andhra Pradesh in India. It falls under the jurisdiction of Guntakal railway division of South Central Railway zone.
The Indian locomotive class WDG-4G is a class of dual-cabin freight-hauling diesel-electric locomotive used by the Indian Railways (IR). The locomotive is designed by GE Transportation and is based on its Evolution Series, which are used in North America. The class is meant for freight hauling and replaces the older American Locomotive Company (ALCO)-designed locomotives, which have been the mainstay diesels of Indian Railways since 1962. Equipped with a 12-cylinder fully turbocharged GEVO engine, it is claimed to be 50% more environmentally friendly than its predecessors and is the first in the country to be compliant with level one of the emission norms set by the International Union of Railways (UIC-1). The locomotive has two cabs for easy reversal, both of which are air conditioned.
The Indian locomotive class WDP-1 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in 1995 by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), Diesel (D), Passenger traffic (P) engine, 1st generation (1). They entered service in 1995. A total of 69 WDP-1 units were built at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Varanasi between 1995 and 1999.
The Indian locomotive class WDG-3A is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in 1994 by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW),Varanasi for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad-gauge (W), Diesel (D), Goods traffic (G) engine, 3,100 hp (3A) locomotive. They entered service on 18 July 1995. A total of 1,164 WDG-3A units were built between 1994 and 2015 at BLW, Varanasi with a few units being produced by Diesel Loco Modernisation Works (DLMW) and Parel Workshop.
The Indian locomotive class WDG-6G is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used by the Indian Railways for freight duty. The locomotive is a higher power variant of the WDG-4G locomotive which was also designed by General Electric. The design platform is based on the GE Evolution Series and features a 4-stroke 16-cylinder fully turbocharged engine which delivers around 6,000 horsepower, making it the most powerful diesel locomotive of IR. It is the only 6,000 HP Diesel electric locomotive at 23t/axle weight, making it the lightest locomotive in its category in the world.
The Indian locomotive class WAG-11 is a class of twin-section 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 2018 by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Varanasi for Indian Railways. This freight engine has been designed for 105-km/hourspeed and weighs 252 tons. It is equipped with three-phase induction motor, four power converters and regenerative as well as pneumatic braking system. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), Alternating Current (A), Goods traffic (G), and 11th in series (11). They entered trials service in 2019. A total of 4 WAG-11 pairs have been built by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Varanasi.
The Indian locomotive class WDG-5 is a class of heavy haul Diesel-electric locomotive built by Banaras Locomotive Works, Varanasi in collaboration with Electro-Motive Diesel. At a rated power output of 5,500 horsepower (4,100 kW), it is the second most powerful diesel locomotive class on Indian Railways, just out-powered by the 6,000 horsepower (4,500 kW) WDG-6G. Derived from the EMD SD80MAC, it was meant as a direct upgrade to the WDG-4 aka GT46MAC. The locomotive series is named Bheem, after the strong Pandav brother from epic Mahabharata. The loco has the 2-stroke Turbocharged EMD 20N-710G3B-ES of the EMD SD80MAC and an AC-AC transmission. Since the loco has been developed by installing a v20-710 prime mover and replacing the standard v16 in the WDG4 GT46MAC locomotive, the model was re-designated by adding 4 to the predecessor model, with GT-46 becoming GT-50, owing to the number of cylinders going from 16 to 20, thereby making it the First EMD locomotive in the GT-series to use a v20-710 engine.