Alstom has secured a five-year maintenance services contract for 300 WAG-12B electric freight locomotives through its joint venture with Indian Railways, Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited (MELPL). The contract covers maintenance activities at Indian Railways’ Sabarmati locomotive depot and will run until February 2031, supporting the rollout of the remaining locomotives under an earlier supply programme.
The contract is valued at EUR 62 million and has been awarded by Indian Railways. It relates to the maintenance of the balance of 300 electric locomotives yet to be delivered from an original 800-unit contract awarded to Alstom in 2015 for high-horsepower electric freight locomotives.
The agreement covers scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities to meet defined availability and reliability requirements. The scope includes material supply, logistics, locomotive washing and remote diagnostics, and applies to both rolling stock and essential depot infrastructure at the Sabarmati facility.
“It is an honour to be Indian Railways’ partner of choice again, as it is reflective of the legacy established by MELPL and Alstom. Over the last decade we have worked collaboratively with the IR organization in supporting their freight revolution vision. We are thrilled to be trusted, for our remarkable maintenance capabilities and our reliability and availability track record,” said Olivier Loison, Managing Director, Alstom India.
The Sabarmati depot operations will complement existing maintenance activities at depots in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Nagpur, Maharashtra, which currently support the first 500 WAG-12B locomotives already in service. These facilities use digital monitoring and diagnostics tools to support fleet availability.
As part of the contract, Alstom will deploy Prompt Response Teams at selected locations. These teams will be equipped with specialised tools and critical spare parts to provide rapid technical support and reduce downtime during operations. The maintenance services are being delivered under Alstom’s FlexCare Perform framework.
The contract also includes continued skill development initiatives for Indian Railways personnel. Alstom said more than 22,000 Indian Railways staff have been trained to date as part of its ongoing training programmes linked to the WAG-12B locomotive project.
The WAG-12B electric locomotives form part of a 2015 contract valued at EUR 3.5 billion for the supply of 800 fully electric, 12,000 horsepower, double-section freight locomotives. The locomotives are designed for heavy freight operations, with a rated haulage capacity of around 6,000 tonnes.
