Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit his home state of Gujarat in the last week of this month. During the visit, he is expected to visit Bhuj in the border district of Kutch and later dedicate to the nation, the first high-powered 9,000-horsepower electric locomotive manufactured at the Dahod-based 9000 HP Electric Locomotive Manufacturing Unit.

Although the official date of the PM’s visit has not yet been announced, Dahod District Collector Yogesh Nirgude held a high-level meeting today in preparation for the visit. He also visited the railway workshop, where he inspected the ongoing work and was briefed by railway officials about the engine and the facility.

Nearly three years after Prime Minister Modi announced the establishment of Indian Railways’ fifth locomotive manufacturing plant in Dahod, the factory is now set to roll out a prototype of this high-powered 9,000-horsepower electric locomotive.

During his visit in March, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted several advanced features of the new engine, including 89% indigenous components, modern interiors resembling a computer center, and improved amenities such as an internal toilet, the Kavach (anti-collision) system, and air-conditioning. He noted that 85% of the factory’s workforce is local and added that locomotives built here will begin to be exported within three years.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for this Dahod workshop in April 2022. In December 2022, German engineering firm Siemens was awarded a contract to manufacture 1,200 high-horsepower (9,000 HP) electric locomotives over a period of 11 years and maintain them over 35 years at four depots located in Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur, and Pune. The estimated value of the project is around ₹26,000 crore (approximately USD 3.2 billion).

These high-horsepower locomotives are set to become the future workhorses for freight operations on Indian Railways. They are primarily intended for use on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and on graded sections of the railway for hauling double-stack container freight trains weighing 4,500 tonnes at 75 kmph on gradients of 1 in 200. This will boost average speeds from the current 20–25 kmph to around 50–60 kmph. The improvement in operating parameters is expected to significantly increase throughput and line capacity. The locomotives will feature state-of-the-art IGBT-based propulsion technology and regenerative braking to reduce energy consumption.

Earlier in February, Union Minister of State for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, who visited the Dahod-based Rolling Stock factory, had stated that the first prototype locomotive would be India’s first 9,000 HP, 6-axle Co-Co locomotive capable of hauling a 4,500-tonne load at an average speed of 75 kmph with a single unit. The locomotive will be equipped with high-tech safety features, cameras, an AC cabin, an inbuilt restroom, and more.

Previously, the locomotive was expected to roll out by the end of March, as announced by the ministers, but progress was delayed. Now, during his first visit to Gujarat after Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory move of Indian Armed Forces following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Prime Minister is expected to officially flag off the locomotive. DeshGujarat