Siemens powers Indian rail
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first of 1,200 electric locomotives (D9–9000 HP units) at Indian Railways’ Dahod factory in Gujarat.
Developed in partnership with Siemens, the locomotives are among the most powerful freight engines globally and are 90% made in India, as the developer reports. Built for railfreight transport in India’s network, the 9000 HP locomotives have a haulage capacity of 5,800 t and a top speed of 120 km/h.
The Dahod facility was completed in under two years and features digital systems including VR-based safety training and loco-shunters. Siemens will maintain the fleet for 35 years. The company expects the project to save 800 million t of CO₂ emissions over the locomotives’ lifecycle and support India’s ambition to increase the railfreight share on goods transport from 27% to 45%. (js)