PM Modi to Flag Off First Bihar-Made Locomotive Export to Guinea

• Indian Railways to export 150 locomotives to Guinea.
• Marhowrah factory builds advanced, modern locos.
• PM Modi to flag off first export unit on June 20.

In a significant move to increase its revenues, Indian Railways will export locomotives to Guinea, the first commercial locomotive export for India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first export unit on June 20 from the Diesel Locomotive Factory in Marhowrah, Saran district, Bihar. The Prime Minister will also launch a Vande Bharat train on the same day between Patliputra, Bihar, and Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The Official said, "The factory won the bid in a global tender issued by Guinea. These locomotives will be used for freight transportation from iron ore mines of the country. These are 4,500 horsepower (HP) locomotives. It will feature many facilities such as windshield heating for defogging, insulated roof, toilet, air conditioning etc. The rake will be attached with the two locomotives on both sides. So it will also have a Distributed Power Wireless Control System (DPWCS), which will allow the wireless control of multiple locomotives in a train. These locos will carry freight of 8,000 tonnes. Two locomotives together will carry the load of 100 wagons with maximum permissible speed. It is expected to cover 1,200 kilometers in 24 hours".

Unlike India's earlier exports under lines of credit as part of development assistance to countries such as Bangladesh and Mozambique, this is a commercial agreement and Indian Railways will supply 150 locomotives to Guinea in 3 years: 37 locomotives will be supplied in 2025-26; 82 locomotives in 2026-27; and 31 locomotives in 2027-28. The Marhowrah factory is a public-private partnership between Indian Railways and GE Transportation (now part of Wabtec).

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"The total contract value is 411 million dollars (Rs 3,533 crore). That means, the cost of one locomotive will be 2.74 million dollar or Rs 23.55 crore. Since the production of railway locomotives in India has increased to 1,681, surpassing the total locomotive production of countries such as the United States, Europe, South America, Africa and Australia, the export will give a major boost to the overall revenue of the railways. For manufacturing of these locomotives, three types of tracks — broad gauge, standard gauge and Cape gauge — have been laid at the Marhowrah locomotive premises", added the official.

The locomotives will be AC powered, will have regenerative braking, will be controlled by microprocessors, will have a modular architecture and meet modern emission standards. The locomotives also have a fire detection system and ergonomic cabins with amenities such as a refrigerator, microwave, and a waterless toilet.

"This export positions Marhowrah factory as a global hub for locomotive exports, strengthening local employment and technological capability. It will contribute to building infrastructure for Guinea’s largest iron ore project, deepening India-Africa economic cooperation. In Marhowrah factory of Bihar, 285 people are directly employed and 1,215 people are getting indirect employment", said the official.

Indian Railways has 4 major loco production units. While Diesel Locomotive Works (Varanasi) and Diesel Modernisation Works (Patiala) now manufacture electric locos since 2016-17, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and the Electric Loco Assembly Unit at Dankuni only manufacture electric locomotives and no longer manufacture diesel locomotives.