Not going to import locomotives now, will Make In India: GE Transportation

According to the contract signed in November 2015, we were expected to deliver 100 locomotives year-on-year for 10 years, said Sandeep Selot

GE Transportation, a division of Wabtec Corporation, has completed two years since it started supplying locomotives to the Railways. The company had signed a $2.6-billion contract in 2015 to supply 1,000 locomotives to the national transporter. SANDEEP SELOT, managing director of GE Diesel JV Locomotive and Chief Commercial Officer (South Asia & Thailand), talks to Shine Jacob about the company’s road map, its strategy during the pandemic, and its journey so far. Edited excerpts:

What was the impact of lockdown and Covid-19 on your India operations?

It was an unprecedented time. We had clear priorities laid down for us — to protect our people. In our units, we had deployed strict social distancing norms. Our Roza maintenance shed was classified an essential operation zone during lockdown. We have 66 people inside the shed, where all necessary Covid-19 protocols are deployed. 

During lockdown, Railways was the lifeline for transportation of goods across the country. Our duty at the Roza shed was to ensure timely maintenance services were made available to locomotives we had already supplied. In the past three months, we have done maintenance work on 150 locomotives that we have supplied to the national transporter. 

During lockdown, we constantly engaged with the Railways based on its priorities. In April, we started operations at our manufacturing unit in Marwohra. We have supplied 13 locomotives since April and our manufacturing is back on track. We have got the requisite support from the government during lockdown to ensure supply of raw material.

Are you facing issues related to labour availability? 

No. In early May, construction work at our second maintenance shed at Gandhidham also started. We have labour staying in and around the area. In Marwohra, we have 400-plus staff. During lockdown, we ensured the team was adequately engaged and the state administration, too, was cooperative. In Roza, only essential staff was allowed at the shed. The rest, into locomotive monitors, were working online. 

You started operations in 2018. How do you see the journey so far?

So far, we have supplied 204 locomotives to the Railways. According to the contract signed in November 2015, we were expected to deliver 100 locomotives year-on-year for 10 years. We are in line with the milestones of the contract, as we started production in September 2018. The project is unique; it was the first public-private partnership venture in the 167-year-old history of the Railways. 

We had a challenging terrain in setting up a complete ecosystem at a remote site like Marwohra in Bihar. From contract signing to production, it took three years for the $2.6-billion project. The Bihar government was also very supportive, in terms of ensuring connectivity and local infrastructure. 

As part of the contract, you were to import 100 locomotives. What is the status of your localisation?

We had to supply 700 locomotives of 4,500 horsepower (hp) and 300 locomotives of 6,000 hp under the contract. Of the 50 locomotives of 4,500 hp imported so far, the rest was made in India. Of the 13 locomotives of 6,000 hp we delivered to the Railways, only six were built in the US. We are not going to import any locomotives; everything will be made in India. Already 65 per cent of our inputs for 4,500 locomotives are being sourced locally.

In line with Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, we are also in the process of turning India into a global hub. We have a large engineering centre in Bengaluru, which is looking into design, digital, and information technology aspects of our global projects.

The Railways is moving towards 100 per cent electrification. What is your take on this being a diesel locomotive manufacturer? 

It is the vision of our country to do 100 per cent electrification of its rail network. 

The government has clarified that diesel locomotives will be needed for disaster management, defence services, and strategic areas. Our locomotives are fuel-efficient and high on availability and reliability. The contract is already on and it has been a supportive and strong partnership with the Railways.