French firm announces completion of first all-electric locomotive on time

French company Alstom on Saturday announced the completion of its first all-electric locomotive at its state-of-the-art facility at Madhepura in Bihar on schedule, just in time for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently in India and is likely to visit the factory.

In line with the government's and Indian Railways' target of 100-per cent electrification and towards sustainable mobility, these new locomotives will not only bring down the operating cost for the railways, but significantly cut down greenhouse gas emissions as well, the company said in a statement.

The first locomotive is part of a Rs 3.5 billion order for 800 electric double-section locomotives, signed in 2015, part of the Ministry of Railways' public-private partnership programme to modernise the country's rail infrastructure.

Our operations in India are paramount to our business globally and we continue to stay committed to developing India's infrastructure needs, improving the quality of services to citizens and investing in the nation's economy, said Henri-Poupart Lafarge, Chairman and CEO, Alstom.

The 12,000-hp, double-section locomotive, part of Alstom's Prima locomotives family, has a hauling capacity of 6,000 tonnes and is capable of running at a speed of 120km per hour, allowing a faster and safer movement of heavier freight trains across the country, thereby reducing the congestion for passenger train services and freight, the statement said.

In another significant development, Alstom announced three new contracts worth approximately Rs 75 million -- a power supply contract from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), a contract for new train-sets from the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation and another power supply contract from the Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation.