After 800 locomotives, Alstom eyes fresh 200-unit order from Indian Railways' Madhepura plant

French train maker Alstom is seeking a follow-on order for 200 electric freight locomotives from Indian Railways for its manufacturing facility at Madhepura in Bihar, a senior company executive said.

Vivek Garg, managing director of Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt Ltd (MELPL), told PTI(Press Trust of India) that the company was in discussions with the railways for additional supplies after completing the existing contract for 800 locomotives that will be completed by March 2028.

Local sourcing

Nearly 90 per cent of the locomotives are currently sourced domestically, while wheels and axles continue to be imported, Garg said.

The company is holding discussions with Ramkrishna Forgings for local wheel supplies. However, the proposed sourcing arrangement would depend on Indian Railways placing additional orders, he added.

MELPL representatives have held talks with upcoming wheel manufacturing units in the country to increase localisation. “Our sourcing team is in touch with Ramkrishna Forgings, whose facility is coming up,” said Garg, highlighting a follow-on order for 200 locomotives will encourage suppliers as well.

The company also has maintenance contracts for the existing fleet. Garg said “Wheels and axles wear out and need to be replaced during maintenance, so that cyclic business would also come and can also be offered to those manufacturers.”

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Scope for new technologies

MELPL was established in 2015 as a public-private joint venture between Alstom and Indian Railways. It manufactures and maintains 12,000-horsepower electric freight locomotives and is among the country’s largest foreign direct investment projects in the railway sector.

Garg said the existing contract allows Indian Railways to seek modifications to the locomotives.
“If the customer (Indian Railways) would like to have changes in certain aspects of the locomotive, those can also be initiated,” he said.

Asked whether the Madhepura plant could be used to manufacture hydrogen trains, Garg said, “There are a number of possibilities… We (Alstom) are the pioneers of hydrogen technology and battery technology.”

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