The Hindu Business Line : ‘Work on new locos unit will be taken up soon’

Chittaranjan (W. Bengal), Sept. 12 Outlining the details of the 11th Plan-projected 1,800 electric locos that would be required by the Railways, Mr V.N. Mathur, Member (Traffic), Railway Board, has said that work on the proposed new production unit for electric locos at Madhepura and wheel set factory at Mehrora (in Chapra, Bihar) would be taken up soon. Shortlisting of companies, both domestic and global, for a joint venture arrangement, is being done by the board.

The Madhepura and Mehrora projects are expected to be completed within two years.

Speaking to newspersons after flagging of five CLW-developed locos – WAG-7 5000 hp versions for both freight and passenger traffic fitted with ergonomically designed driver-friendly cabs – he said that even as steps are being taken to augment the current electric loco production capacity of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works from 200 to 250 by 2009-10, quite clearly there was a need for an additional plan for electric locos, having fully absorbed the modern three-phase electric locomotive technology into the system.

Stressing the need for a strategic partnership with players, including global giants, on a PPP model basis, he said that the policy on the logistics back-up for the dedicated freight corridors, which will also include the specific locations, was being cobbled. On the Madhepura location, he said that the site has been selected after careful consideration of multi-modal transport requirements (for handling both national and international containers). Commenting on the inter-linked Railway route electrification as one of high priority, Mr Mathur said that work on the Mumbai-Chennai route electrification, including doubling work, was partially over. Stating that route electrification was high on the agenda of the Railways, he said that it will be extended to the North-Eastern States as well. Singling out the 1,150 million tonnes (mt) freight traffic projection during the 11th Plan (from 728 mt last year) as a mammoth task, Mr Mathur said that the various projects in the Railway, including those for augmenting rolling stock during this period, would entail an investment of Rs 2.51 lakh crore. On the high-speed corridors, Mr Mahur clarified that in a country with such a high population density, such speeds cannot be introduced without total fencing of the tracks. On the diagnostics-fitted electric locos by CLW, labelled Dr Silver, Mr V. Shankar, General Manager, CLW, said that upgradation work was being taken up before further trials. It will become a two-way communication module using both Internet and GSM network for multi-location execution of spot repairs, whenever signals are received. He expects the work to be completed within a year.