Siemens Activates Historic €3 Billion Freight Train Rollout for Indian Railways

D9 electric freight locomotives have been delivered to Indian Railways. They are intended for commercial operation. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The handover forms part of a EUR 3 billion contract for 1,200 locomotives. Also, the company opened the fleet’s first maintenance facility. It opened the site in Visakhapatnam with the Indian rail operator.

The commercial handover is paired with the maintenance structure that will support the 35-year programme.

According to Siemens Mobility, the order was placed with the company in January 2023. Siemens describes it as the largest locomotive order in its history. It is also the biggest order ever received by Siemens India.

“The delivery of the first D9 locomotives and the opening of the new maintenance depot in Visakhapatnam are major milestones in this landmark project and in our long-term partnership with Indian Railways,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

Michael Peter said Siemens technology supports India’s plans to shift more freight to rail. It also supports higher logistics efficiency and substantial CO₂ reductions over the coming decades.

“Together, we are putting into service one of the most powerful and energy-efficient freight locomotives in the world, manufactured and maintained in India,” said Michael Peter.

D9 electric freight locomotives for heavy freight

The D9 locomotives are built for freight services across the Indian Railways network. They can run at speeds of up to 120 km/h. A locomotive with a 22.5-ton axle load can haul up to 5,800 tons. That applies under normal operating conditions on the network’s defined gradients.

The D9 has an output of 9,000 hp. It is India’s most powerful six-axle electric freight locomotive. The rolling stock has completed testing under the European EN 14363 standard. That standard is used to assess the dynamic behavior and running safety of railway vehicles. Siemens said the D9 is the first Indian Railways rolling stock to pass these tests. The tests were completed under that European standard.

Also, the locomotives carry advanced digital systems, including Railigent X. Railigent X is Siemens’ platform for predictive maintenance and data-based performance optimization. These systems are intended to support higher fleet availability. They also support reliable, energy-efficient operation on India’s rail network.

Full maintenance scope for 35 years

The programme is structured as a full-lifecycle partnership for the locomotive fleet. It covers design, manufacturing, commissioning, and complete maintenance over a 35-year period.

Maintenance will be provided through four depots in Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur, and Pune. The Visakhapatnam maintenance depot, the first site in this network, has already been inaugurated.

Siemens Mobility’s service scope includes spare parts and materials management for the D9 fleet. It also includes maintenance planning, documentation, and reporting. In addition, the company will use Railigent X-based digital services for technical condition monitoring. Those services will also cover predictive maintenance and data-driven performance optimization.

Rail freight transport in India

India operates one of the world’s largest railway and logistics systems. Every day, the network carries 24 million passengers and runs more than 22,000 trains.

The Indian government wants rail to account for 40–45% of freight transport. The current level is about 27%. The target is linked to logistics efficiency and emissions reduction. This applies in a country with very large domestic freight volumes.

India is also among the few countries with an almost fully electrified railway network. In this context, Siemens presents the D9 locomotives as a key element in rail freight transport modernization. The company also presents them as a way to increase traction capacity across the network.

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