Title - Fuel-saving system for diesel locomotives on the anvil

Railways are in the process of developing a highly fuel efficient system for its fleet of diesel locomotives, a move which will help the PSU behemoth save about Rs 500-600 crore annually on fuel bill and reduce emissions by 30 per cent.

Research Development Standard Organisation (RDSO), the research wing of railways is developing the Common Rail Electronic Direct Fuel Injection (CReDI) system for diesel locomotives, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

A joint venture between an Indian manufacturer and a Swiss firm has been established for design and development of the system under overall supervision of RDSO for the purpose.

Fuel savings in the range of 3 to 4 per cent and emissions reductions by about 20-30 per cent are expected through the system.

"Once the systems are implemented on the complete fleet of locomotives, railways will save about Rs 500-600 crore annually on fuel bill," said the official, adding "Besides Railways many other industries of India stand to gain from these developments."

Railways fuel bill is estimated to be around Rs 9000 cr in a year.

In the long-term, complete manufacture, assembly and testing of the CReDI system shall be done here, placing India among the few countries possessing design and manufacturing capabilities for such sophisticated systems for large bore engines like locomotives, marine, trucks and battle tanks.