The deal is the largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and single largest order in the history of Siemens India.
Siemens Mobility will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives with deliveries planned over an eleven-year period.
"Siemens is supporting the sustainable transformation of India’s transportation sector as the country seeks to almost double freight capacity on its railways," said Siemens CEO Roland Busch. "I’m proud that this major order will help India achieve its ambitious goal of creating the world’s largest green rail network, as our locomotives will save more than 800 million tons of CO2 emissions over their lifecycle."
The locomotives will be assembled in the Indian Railways factory in Dahod, in the state of Gujarat, India whilst maintenance will be performed in four Indian Railways depots located in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur and Pune.
The 9,000HP locomotives will be used for freight transport throughout the Indian Railways network and are specified to haul loads of 4,500 tons at a maximum speed of 120km per hour. They will be equipped with advanced propulsion systems that are also produced locally in Siemens Mobility factories in India.
India has one of the world’s largest rail transport and logistics networks used daily by 24 million passengers on more than 22,000 trains. Additionally, the government of India plans to increase the share of railways for freight transport to 40-45 per cent from the current approximately 27 per cent.
“These new locomotives will help increase freight transport on one of the world's largest rail networks, as they can replace between 500,000 to 800,000 trucks over their lifecycle,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility. “This historic order cements a firm commitment from Indian Railways to achieve 100 per cent electrification of rail traffic in India. Our partnership will further strengthen Siemens Mobility’s position in India and support the country’s expanding railway market.”
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