Indian Railways launches 600 new electric locomotives on major routes

The high-powered push-pull locomotives, each with a capacity of 6,000 horsepower, will be produced at the Banaras Locomotive Works (34BLW) in Varanasi. The railways anticipate strong participation from major rolling stock manufacturers in the bidding process, scheduled to commence early next year.

This endeavour is expected to be a substantial boost for BLW, as it plans to manufacture 500 push-pull locomotives for freight services and 100 locomotives for passenger trains. These distributed power push-pull locomotives offer higher acceleration and deceleration, utilising two locomotives at both ends of a train. The push-pull system, controlled by a single command system and operated by one driver and an assistant loco pilot, enhances operational efficiency.

Formerly known as Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), the Varanasi facility was renamed BLW in 2020 after discontinuing the production of diesel locomotives. The push-pull locomotives are considered advantageous for faster and more efficient train movement, eliminating the need for shunting or reversing during the forward journey. The distributed power push-pull system not only accelerates train speed but also reduces station detention time, thereby improving overall turnaround time.

The fully electrified push-pull locomotives are estimated to cost around Rs 12 crore per locomotive, with the manufacturer at BLW undertaking a 35-year maintenance responsibility. Currently, a non-AC push-pull train with 22 coaches is undergoing trial runs, and another is set to be deployed shortly for active service. Indian Railways plans to deploy these push-pull passenger trains on high-density routes, while the freight locomotives will be utilised for heavy hauling across the country, including Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) routes.