 "Image courtesy: Alstom")
Alstom has received Euro 3 billion contract from Indian Railways for supply of 800 double section freight electric locomotives and associated long-term maintenance services. As a part of the contract, Alstom will set-up a plant at Madhepura (Bihar) and two maintenance depots at Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Nagpur (Maharashtra). The delivery of the locomotives will spread between 2018 and 2028.
The project is expected to play a crucial role in boosting the infrastructure development in the country. The 100-percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the railway sector allowed by the Government has provided a renewed push to the Indian mainline railway sector.
“This project, one of the biggest in Alstom’s history, is a breakthrough for our presence in India and demonstrates the success of our global customer proximity strategy. We are extremely proud to be partnering with Indian Railways for this ambitious project which will be a game changer for Indian railway sector,” commented Henri Poupart-Lafarge, executive vice president, Alstom.
The Prima locomotive for Indian Railways will be 9,000 kW at the wheel rim and will run at a speed up to 120 km/h. This contract positions Alstom as one of the leading suppliers of heavy-haul electric locomotives with over 1,200 double locomotives ordered for the last decade.
Alstom has several sites in India including a signalling, telecoms and train engineering unit in Bangalore, a metro manufacturing facility in Sri City and a traction systems manufacturing unit in Coimbatore. Alstom has strong references in India in the urban segment for cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai, Kochi and Lucknow.
