The Indian locomotive class WAG-12B was created in 2017 by Alstom in technological cooperation with Indian Railways. It is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives. Broad gauge (W), Alternating Current (AC), Goods traffic (G), locomotive, 12,000 horsepower (12) is what the model name stands for. In 2019, they began their trial period. Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura, Bihar, India, has produced 296 WAG-12B in total.
The WAG 12 is the most potent goods locomotive in the world with a power output of 12,000 horsepower, more than doubling that of its direct predecessor, the WAG-9. The locomotive is being created for use on the Dedicated Freight Corridors where it will be used to pull freight trains weighing more than 6,000 tonnes (5,900 long tonnes; 6,600 short tonnes) at speeds between 100 km/h (62 mph) and 120 km/h (75 mph), effectively doubling the average speed of freight trains in the industry.
Origins
Details of the WAG 12 locomotive
The beginnings of WAG-12B can be found in 2006. when the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project was approved by the Indian government and the DFCCIL organisation was established to build it. Even the WAG-9, the most potent locomotive of its time, was found to be insufficient to run trains as efficiently as possible.
The Ministry of Railways issued a request for proposals in June 2008 for the design and development of the locomotives. The original agreement was to build and maintain 660 high-horsepower locomotives in a joint venture with Indian Railways owning a 26% stake and the bidder owning a 74% stake at a new electric locomotive facility to be established in Madhepura, Bihar.
Development
After the Ministry of Railways and Alstom agreed to a contract worth 25,000 crore (equivalent to 320 billion or US$4.0 billion in 2020), the locomotive’s development got underway.and established a joint venture for the undertaking. The first locomotive was initially anticipated to begin service on February 28, 2018, and it is the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project of Indian Railways. According to an announcement by Alstom, the new locomotive will be built on the wildly popular Prima II model. It is known as the Prima T8 by Alstom. For the first time in twenty years, Indian Railways purchased brand-new locomotives.
