The first of 1,200 electric freight locomotives being built by Siemens Mobility for Indian Railways has been officially handed over for commercial operations.

At the same time, the company opened the fleet’s first maintenance depot in Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Siemens Mobility was awarded the €3 billion contract from Indian Railways in January 2023, which was the largest locomotive order in the company’s history and the largest single order for Siemens India.

The D9 locomotives are the first Indian Railways’ locomotives to be tested to the European standard EN 14363. Designed for freight operations throughout the sub-continent at up to 120 km/h, and with an axle load of 22.5 tonnes, they can haul loads of up to 5,800 tonnes

Rated at 9,000 hp, the D9s are India’s most powerful six-axle electric freight locomotives, and have advanced digital systems such as Railigent X for predictive maintenance and data-driven performance optimisation.

The locomotives are being delivered under a lifecycle partnership model, which includes design, manufacturing, and commissioning, and 35 years of full-service maintenance. As well as the new maintenance facility at Visakhapatnam, there will be other maintenance facilities at Raipur, Kharagpur, and Pune, with Siemens Mobility providing spare parts, materials management, and maintenance planning, as well as documentation and reporting. Siemens Mobility will also use digital services.

“The handover of the first D9 locomotives and the opening of the new maintenance depot in Visakhapatnam are major milestones in this landmark project and our long-term partnership with Indian Railway. “With our leading technology, we are supporting the country’s goal of shifting more freight to rail, boosting logistics efficiency, and significantly reducing CO2 emissions for decades to come. Together, we are bringing one of the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient freight locomotives into service – manufactured and maintained in India.”

Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.