BHEL has manufactured its first 6,000 HP electric locomotive (type WAG-9H) for Indian Railways. The enterprise says that it has forayed into the transportation sector with the flagging off of its first electric locomotive.

The loco was flagged off by Ghanshyam Singh, member (traction), railway board, at BHEL’s Jhansi plant.
The 6,000 HP loco has been manufactured against an order from the railways for 30 locomotives. This is the first electric locomotive equipped with modern IGBT based 3-phase propulsion system with regenerative braking and air-conditioned cabin and water closet, to be manufactured by BHEL.

A pioneer in the transportation sector, BHEL has been working very closely with the railways for six decades to meet their requirement of electric propulsion equipment for rolling stock and mainline electric locomotives.

BHEL is catering to the growing needs of the railways by offering solutions with latest technological advancements. BHEL has created a dedicated centre for research and development in transportation technology and manufacturing facilities at Bhopal, Jhansi and Bengaluru plants. It has a dedicated loco manufacturing facility with a capacity to manufacture about 100 locos per year and has already supplied 360 mainline electric locomotives to Indian Railways.

BHEL has a share of over 50 per cent of railways requirement for electric propulsion equipment for rolling stock.