India: As the winning bidder, the German manufacturer offered Indian Railways (IR), the national operator, supply and maintenance of the rolling stock for Rs 260 bln ($US 3.2 bln). Other bidders are not disclosed. Previously, it was reported that Alstom, Hitachi, Stadler and Wabtec were also competing.
This is the single largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility. The company will supply six-axle (Co-Co) locomotives with a power of more than 6.6 MW. At an average speed of 75 km/h, the vehicles will haul trains weighing up to 4,500 tonnes. The prototypes are expected over the next two years. Siemens has already supplied powerful electric locomotives with three-axle bogies to several clients, however most of its locomotives have Bo-Bo configuration. The Danish national operator DSB received 6.5 MW six-axle EuroSprinters, and HXD1B, a 9.6 MW six-axle version of EuroSprinter, was developed and delivered to China in cooperation with CRRC.
Under the contract, the rolling stock will be assembled and maintained at IR’s depots. The Indian operator will provide its former depot in Dahod dating back to 1926 for the assembly. For Siemens to carry out this part of work, the facility will be upgraded and expanded. With the launch of the plant, 10,000 jobs will be created both directly and indirectly. Plans for maintenance over 35 years are linked to IR’s depots in Kharagpur, Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, and Pune.
The number of supplied locomotives will increase year by year: first five vehicles in 2024, 35 in 2025, 80 each year in 2026 and 2027, 100 each year in 2028 and 2029, and 160 each year from 2030 to 2034. Siemens will also work on the export of electric locomotives for 1,435 mm gauge rail networks manufactured in Dahod.
In 2022 IR announced another big tender for 8.8+ MW mainline electric locomotives with three-axle bogies. According to UrbanTransportNews, the contract for 800 vehicles is valued at €3.7 bln. As a technology partner, the winner will develop the rolling stock and organize its manufacture in Banaras. Five vehicles are expected to be delivered in the 2023–2024 financial year, 35 the next year, 60 a year after, and starting from the fourth year IR will receive 100 locomotives yearly.
In the financial year April 2021 – March 2022, more than 1,100 electric locomotives were built in India, and 965 of these at IR’s plants. Its Chittaranjan Locomotive Works alone manufactured 486 electric locomotives. This new record is almost 25% higher than the previous year’s result. Another 110 WAG-12 locomotives were built at the Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura, a joint venture of IR and Alstom SA. New Delhi’s state-owned BHEL manufactured 35 vehicles.
