Alstom-built 12,000 HP electric locomotives become the fastest freight movers in India. Credit: © Alstom.

Indian Railways has approved Alstom’s WAG 12B e-locos to haul freight trains at a maximum speed of 120km/h.

The approval from the Ministry of Railways and Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) makes these 12,000 HP e-locos the fastest freight movers in the country.

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Indian Railways started inducting the electric locomotives earlier this year. Cumulatively, these WAG 12B e-locos have travelled one million kilometres on Indian tracks.

Alstom India & South Asia managing director Alain Spohr said: “The approval from RDSO is indeed a matter of pride for all of us at Alstom and a testimony of our technical expertise in partnership with the Indian Railways.

“In line with India’s push towards self-reliance, we have successfully leveraged our local engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Alstom is also committed to support Indian Railways in reducing its carbon footprint and adopt cleaner technologies in its quest to transform into the world’s largest Green Railway network.”

Indian Railways plans to deploy these electric locomotives on major freight routes, including dedicated freight corridors (DFCs).

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It is expected that the WAG 12B e-locos will increase the average speed of freight trains by at least 20km/h – 25km/h to enable faster hauling.

Spohr added: “Equipped with insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT)-based propulsion technology, it would lead to considerable savings in energy consumption due to use of regenerative braking.

“The technology is also helpful towards making the acceleration process more efficient by reducing the heat generation and traction noise. Additionally, this move will not only bring down operational costs, but also reduce the congestion faced by Indian Railways.”

Recently, Alstom, a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer, secured a contract to deliver 49 Citadis trams to Nantes.

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