Siemens Mobility has delivered the first D9 electric freight locomotives to Indian Railways alongside opening a new maintenance depot.
Siemens Mobility has officially handed over the first D9 electric freight locomotives to Indian Railways for commercial operations, marking a major milestone in a €3 billion locomotive programme.
The company also opened the first maintenance depot for the new fleet in Visakhapatnam as part of a wider national maintenance network.
Siemens begins commercial rollout of D9 freight locomotive fleet
The order for 1,200 electric freight locomotives was awarded to Siemens Mobility in January 2023 and remains both the largest locomotive order in Siemens Mobility’s history and the largest order secured by Siemens India.
The D9 locomotives are designed for freight operations across the Indian Railways network at speeds of up to 120 km/h. Each locomotive delivers 9,000 horsepower and can haul freight loads of up to 5,800 tonnes under standard operating conditions.
According to Siemens Mobility, the D9 fleet is also the first rolling stock in Indian Railways to be successfully tested against the European EN 14363 standard.
Michael Peter said: “The handover of the first D9 locomotives and the opening of the new maintenance depot in Visakhapatnam are major milestones in this landmark project.”
He added: “With our leading technology, we are supporting the country’s goal of shifting more freight to rail.”
The locomotives incorporate digital systems including Railigent X for predictive maintenance, condition monitoring and operational optimisation. Siemens said the technology will help improve reliability, maximise fleet availability and support energy-efficient operations across India’s railway network.
The project is being delivered under a lifecycle partnership model covering design, manufacturing, commissioning and 35 years of maintenance services.
Maintenance operations will be supported through four depots located in Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur and Pune.
India continues to expand its rail freight ambitions as part of wider sustainability and logistics goals. The Indian Government aims to increase rail’s freight market share from around 27 per cent to between 40 and 45 per cent in the coming years.
With one of the world’s largest rail networks and an almost fully electrified system, India is continuing to invest heavily in modern rail infrastructure and freight capacity improvements.
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