Banaras Locomotive Works to build engines for marine boats

Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Varanasi, Indian Railways production unit, is planning to produce engines of marine boats.

"We are also looking for a market for BLW engines in the shipping industry. For the first time we have approached 14 shipyards, the Inland Waterways Authority of India and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata. Once we get the order, we are planning to produce marine engines," BLW general manager Anjali Goyal said.

To fulfill the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, BLW has exported 171 diesel locomotives to several countries including Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tanzania and Malaysia. Other export orders to Malaysia and African countries are under consideration, she told reporters.

In 2021, it completed an order of six 3000 HP Cape Gauge Locomotives to Mozambique. It received an order for a seventh locomotive in September, she said.

“The Mozambique order is significant because the entire thing was completed during Covid times. We got the order in November 2020… In such little time, it is difficult to complete an international order, that too when over 1,000 of our staff were down with Covid in April and May ,” she said.

Since the starting of BLW, it has produced 8,307 diesel locomotives and 967 electric engines for Indian Railways. Since 2016-17, BLW made transition to produce electric locomotives.

With the National Rail Plan forecasting an increase in rail-based freight transportation in the country, the Indian Railways required more locomotives in coming years. BLW's 6000 horsepower (HP) freight locomotives are working in a big way to meet the demand.

“We are now planning for 9,000 new HP freight loco productions at BLW in the next fiscal 2022-23,” she said.

BLW has manufactured 219 electric locomotives till November 2021, against 169 till November 2020. The BLWs electric locomotive production line has more than 98% indigenous material input, she said.

To accelerate BLW's production capacity, various measures have been taken to enhance the loco production capacity and reduce the manufacturing time. As a result, total manufacturing time for an electric loco has been decreased from 33 to 21 days, she said.