RailEnquiry

Railways plans to induct high power locomotives to carry more goods at higher speed as part of its technological upgrading programme.According to the plan, the national transporter has produced the prototype 5500 horsepower (HP) diesel locomotives which are already running as a pilot project in North Central Railway.Known as 5500 HP WDG5, the high power locomotive is being developed by Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) at Varanasi, a production unit of Railways.There will be more such high power locomotives manufactured at the DLW in future, said a senior Railway Ministry official.The 5500 HP WDG5 is primarily aimed at improving the capacity with higher balancing speed. The locomotive is equipped with advanced technology such as electronic fuel injection (for higher fuel efficiency and emission control) to run at 100 km per hour speed higher axle load.DLW's locomotive designs implement collision protection, provision for heating, ventilation and air conditioning and improved visibility thereby setting up new standards for crew comport and safety.Currently, DLW manufactures locomotives with a wide horsepower range, from 1400 HP to 5500 HP for multiple track gauges.Besides meeting the needs of non-railway customers in India, DLW is exporting locomotives to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Tanzania, Sudan, Senegal, Mozambique and Myanmar.The factory is also manufacturing diesel generator (DG) sets and supplying them to Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited's plants at Kota, Narora, Kaiga and Kalpakkam.

Having manufactured over 6700 locomotives till date, DLW is now one of the biggest locomotive manufacturers in the world. In 2012-13, it manufactured an unprecedented 294 locomotives, thereby increasing its production nearly three times from 112 locomotives manufactured in 2002-03.

Set up in 1964, DLW will be completing 50 years of its production service next year.