The WAG12B (12000 HP) freight locomotive is powerful and is capable of high speed, thus, it is a significant addition to the Indian Railways network.
Indian Railways’ big ‘Make in India’ success! The first WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive, manufactured under Narendra Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative recently departed from the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya railway station in Uttar Pradesh. According to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the WAG12B (12000 HP) freight locomotive is powerful and is capable of high speed, thus, it is a significant addition to the Indian Railways network. The train departed with WAG/12B-60027 at a speed of 100 Kmph from DDU at 2:08 PM in long haul formation for Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Barwadih Junction (BRWD) section of DDU and DHN divisions of East Central Railway zone.
The 12,000 HP electric locomotive, a first for Indian Railways, has been manufactured as well as assembled at Alstom’s factory in Madhepura, located in the state of Bihar. The national transporter got the locomotive from Alstom as part of a 3.5 billion euros ‘Make in India’ deal. In Indian Railways bid to go green and reduce the carbon footprint, the WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive marks a significant milestone.
The WAG12-class locos will be used to power trains on Indian Railways’ Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) and conventional corridors. The project which is a joint venture of the national transporter and Alstom, involves the manufacturing of as many as 800 fully electric super-powered double-section locomotives as well as their maintenance for over a period of 11 years. So far, eight such locomotives have been rolled out, while the others will be rolled out on an annual basis.
During its trial run, the locomotive achieved a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. It has hauling power of up to 6,000 tonnes. The electric loco makes use of low voltage cables as well as, it has LED lamps, making it a “green loco”. The locomotive can withstand India’s extreme heat and humidity as well. Equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)-based propulsion technology, the electric locomotive will lead to savings in the consumption of energy due to the use of regenerative braking.