![]() ASN based WAP-4 (ex. Howrah) at Howrah | |
Location | |
---|---|
Location | Asansol, West Bengal |
Coordinates | 23°41′31″N86°58′10″E / 23.691972°N 86.969316°E |
Characteristics | |
Owner | Indian Railways |
Operator | Eastern Railway zone |
Depot code | ASN |
Type | Engine shed |
Roads | 6 |
Rolling stock | WAP-4 WAG-5 WAG-7 WAG-9 |
History | |
Opened | 1959 |
Former rolling stock | WAM-1, WAM-2/3, WAM-4, WAP-6, WAG-2, WAG-3, WAG-4 |
Electric Loco Shed, Asansol is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Asansol of the Eastern Railway zone in West Bengal, India. It is one of the two electric locomotive sheds of the Eastern Railway, the others being at Howrah (HWH). As of November,2022, there are 142 locomotives in the shed. [1]
Steam locomotive sheds used to exist at Asansol (Howrah) until the late 1970s. [2] [3] After Eastern Railway set a deadline to eliminate all steam locomotive operations by 1990, a push was given towards establishing electric locomotion as the primary motive power, and the Steam locomotive sheds was decommissioned. [4] To meet the needs of exponentially increasing rail traffic on the new continuous broad-gauge lines from kolkata to rest of India with the completion of gauge conversion, the Asansol was selected by Indian railways for a new electric locomotive shed. [5]
Asansol shed was started in May 1959 by converting a small portion of steam shed with a holding of 45 locos. The imported WAM-1 locomotives were based in this shed after commissioning. With the addition of WAM-2/3 locos. imported from Japan, the need for the expansion of this shed was felt and it was expanded to home 80 locos. In the year 1969 by taking some more portion of the steam shed 12 imported mixed locos. from Japan (10 WAM-2 + 2 WAM-3) and 45 WAG-2 locos. were added. To give marginal relief to the congestion, the 45 WAG-2s were transferred to MGS shed.
With the introduction of EMU rakes from BHEL and ICF in Calcutta suburban section, 25 WAM-2 locos, which were working in push-pull operation, were converted to main line operation. The original WAM-1/2 locos, having ignitrons for AC-to-DC conversion, were converted to silicon rectifier system in the years 1968 to 1970. CLW started production and the first batch of 10 WAG-4 locos were commissioned and based at Asansol shed in 1970. In 1971, CLW started manufacturing WAM-4s which were commissioned at Asansol. Shed was further expanded in 1974 to home 110 locos. which increased to 115 in 1980. With the introduction of air-brake stock, some WAG-4s were converted for dual brake operation. Further facilities were created for maintaining 20 such locos.
In the late 1995s WAP-6 were introduced which stayed until late 2005, when they were transferred to Howrah. It later got a large fleet of WAP-4 locos from howrah. All WAP-6 locos from Howrah shed converted to WAP-4 units and transferred here. [6] The shed also have a few WAM-4 units. All the WAM-4s of this shed are being used for shunting service.
Being one of the three electric engine sheds in Eastern Railway, various major and minor maintenance schedules of electric locomotives are carried out here. It has the sanctioned capacity of 175 engine units. Beyond the operating capacity, this shed houses a total of 207 engine units, including 90 WAP-4 and 19 WAP-7. It also housed a few WAM-4 locomotives temporarily. [7] Electric loco Shed, Asansol is now housing a large fleet of WAP-4 in Indian Railways and it caters to many long-distance electric trains. [8] [9]
Like all locomotive sheds, ASN does regular maintenance, overhaul and repair including painting and washing of locomotives. It not only attends to locomotives housed at ASN but to ones coming in from other sheds as well. It has four pit lines for loco repair. Locomotives of Asansol ELS along with Howrah ELS were the regular links for all trains running through West Bengal when widespread electrification of railway lines started in Eastern Railways. ASN locomotives used to be predominantly the regular links for trains traveling to north as well.
Though WAP-4 class have a standardized livery all over India, Asansol WAP-4 locomotives can easily be recognized by their Blood Red with incomplete yellow band.
SN | Type of Loco | HP | Holding |
---|---|---|---|
1. | WAP-4 | 5350 | 9 |
2. | WAG-5 | 3850 | 3 |
3. | WAG-7 | 5350 | 55 |
4. | WAG-9 | 6120 | 151 |
Total Locomotives Active as of July 2024 [10] | 218 |
The Indian locomotive class WAP-7 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1999 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Passenger traffic (P) locomotive, 7th generation (7). They entered service in 2000. A total of 1676 WAP-7 have been built, with more units being built at CLW, Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) and Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW).
The Indian locomotive class WAP-4 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1993 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Passenger traffic (P) locomotive, 4th generation (4). They entered service in late 1994. A total of 778 WAP-4 were built at CLW between 1993 and 2015, which made them the most numerous class of mainline electric passenger locomotive until the WAP-7.
The Indian locomotive class WAG-5 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1978 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), alternating current (A), goods traffic (G) engine, 5th generation (5). They entered service in 1980. A total of 1196 WAG-5 were built at CLW and BHEL between 1978 and 1998, which made them the most numerous class of mainline electric locomotive till its successor the WAG-7.
The Indian locomotive class WAM-4 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1970 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), alternating current (A), mixed traffic (M) locomotive, 4th generation (4). They entered service in March 1971. A total of 500 WAM-4 were built at CLW between 1970 and 1983, which made them the most numerous class of mainline electric locomotive till its successor the WAG-5.
Asansol Junction is a railway station of Eastern Railway in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The station is on the Howrah–Delhi main line. It is the 8th busiest railway station in India in terms of frequency of trains after Kanpur Central, Vijayawada Junction, Delhi Junction, New Delhi, Ambala Cant, Howrah and Patna Junction. Around 171 trains pass through the station daily. It serves Asansol and the surrounding areas.
The Howrah–Barddhaman main line is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Howrah and Barddhaman via Bandel. The 107 kilometres (66 mi) railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Barddhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the Howrah–Delhi main line and the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.
The Asansol–Gaya section is a railway line connecting Asansol and Gaya in India. This 267-kilometre long (166 mi) track is part of the Grand Chord, Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line. This section includes the NSC Bose Gomoh–Barkakana line. It is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway and East Central Railway. The section links to South Eastern Railway through Bokaro Steel City and Adra.
The Asansol–Patna section is a railway line connecting Asansol in the Indian state of West Bengal and Patna in Bihar. The 331 km (206 mi) line passes through the fringe areas of West Bengal, a portion of Santhal Parganas in Jharkhand and the Gangetic Plain in Bihar.
The Indian locomotive class WAP-1 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1980 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Passenger traffic (P) locomotive, 1st generation (1). They entered service in late 1981. A total of 65 WAP-1 were built at CLW between 1980 and 1996, which made them the most numerous class of mainline electric passenger locomotive until its successor, the WAP-4.
The Indian locomotive class WAM- 2/3 was a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was imported from Japan in the 1960s for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Mixed traffic (M) locomotive, 2nd generation (2). A total of 38 WAM-2/3 locomotives were built by The Japanese Group between 1960 and 1964. They entered service in 1960.
Electric Loco Shed, Royapuram is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Royapuram on the Chennai Beach–Katpadi section of the Chennai Suburban Railway network in Chennai, India. It is located in the Southern Railway zone and it is one of the three electric locomotive sheds of the Southern Railway, the others being at Erode (ED) and Arakkonam (AJJ) and is the newest in south India.
Electric Loco Shed, Arakkonam is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Arrakkonam on the Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section of the Southern Railway zone in Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three electric locomotive sheds of the Southern Railway, the others being at Erode (ED) and Royapuram (RPM) and is the oldest in south India.
Electric Loco Shed, Howrah is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Howrah of the Eastern Railway zone in West Bengal, India. It is one of the two electric locomotive sheds of the Eastern Railway, the others being at Asansol (ASN). As of 1 July 2020 there are 150 locomotives in the shed.
Electric Loco Shed, Ghaziabad is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Ghaziabad Junction of the Northern Railway zone in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the two electric locomotive sheds of the Northern Railway, the others being at Ludhiana (LDH).
Electric Loco Shed, Angul is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Angul of the East Coast Railway zone in Odisha, India. It is one of the two electric locomotive sheds of the East Coast Railway, the others being at Vishakhapatnam (VKSP). As of 1 January 2024, there are 279 locomotives in the shed.
Electric Loco Shed, Ajni is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, under its of the Central Railway division, located in Ajni, Nagpur in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the three electric locomotive sheds of the Central Railway, the others being at Kalyan (KYN) and Bhusawal. As of November 2023, there are 246 locomotives in the shed.
Electric Loco Shed, Bhilai is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Bhilai of the South East Central Railway zone in Chhattisgarh, India.
Electric Loco Shed, Bhusawal is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Bhusawal of the Central Railway in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the three electric locomotive sheds of the Central Railway, the others being at Kalyan (KYN) and Ajni. As of 1 August 2020 there are 203 locomotives in the shed.
Electric Loco Shed, Itarsi is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Itarsi of the West Central Railway zone in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is one of the major Electric loco shed in West Central Railway of the three sheds, others being at Electric Loco Shed, Tuglakabad (TKD) and New Katni Jn (NKJ). As of 1 December 2022 there are 171 locomotives in the shed.
Electric Loco Shed, Visakhapatnam is a motive power depot performing locomotive maintenance and repair facility for electric locomotives of the Indian Railways, located at Visakhapatnam of the East Coast Railway zone in Andhra Pradesh, India.