Date of Post: 11 Oct, 2017
NEW DELHI: GE Transportation today took another important step forward in its partnership with Indian Railways when the first of 1,000 diesel-electric Evolution series locomotives arrived at India’s Mundra Port.
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This will be the first ever diesel-electric locomotive running on Indian tracks which complies with the international standard on emissions known as UIC 1. The locomotive was designed at the John F Welch Technology Center in Bangalore.
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It is the first of 40 locomotives that has been imported to India from the U.S. The remaining 960 will be built at GE’s Brilliant Factory, which is being constructed at Marhowra in Bihar, and will open in 2018. The Brilliant Factory marries lean principles with additive manufacturing and software analytics for the most efficient production. The partnership will also provide technical training and employment opportunities for the local community in Bihar.
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The milestone is the result of a $2.5 billion agreement for 1,000 diesel-electric locomotives, signed in 2015 as part of the Government of India’s Public Private Partnership program to modernize the country’s rail infrastructure. This agreement remains one of the most promising infrastructure projects in the country and underscores the importance of the government’s Make in India initiative.
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“Our partnership with Indian Railways is a best-in- class bilateral example of how entities can work together to create jobs and drive economic development in a region,” said Vishal Wanchoo, President & CEO, GE South Asia. “Through this project, we’re creating a robust supply chain ecosystem in India, and will localize more than 70 percent of all content. We’re proud of the more than 6,000 jobs, that have been created by GE in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and remain committed to our work in the country.”
“This milestone is a testament to our strong partnership with Indian Railways. The construction of our Brilliant Factory in Marhowra and maintenance shed in Roza are well underway and we are delivering in line with the contractual timelines”, said Nalin Jain, President and CEO -International for GE Transportation.
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GE Transportation is building two locomotive models for Indian Railways. The ES43ACmi is a dual-cab locomotive with a 4,500-horsepower engine. The second locomotive, model ES57ACi, features a 6,000-horsepower engine. It is currently in the design phase and will begin production later this year.
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About GE Transportation
At GE Transportation, we are in the business of realizing potential. We are a global technology leader and supplier of equipment, services and solutions to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries. Our innovations help customers deliver goods and services with greater speed and savings using our advanced manufacturing techniques and connected machines. Our digital solutions, which provide data-driven insights to improve efficiency, leverage Predix – GE’s cloud-based operating system for the Industrial Internet.
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