Wabtec Brakes into $157 Million Indian Railway Deal

Wabtec Corporation has recently secured a substantial $157 million (Rs. 1,300 crore) contract to supply cutting-edge brake systems for Siemens India's production of 9,000 horsepower (hp) locomotives designated for the Indian Railways. The American company officially announced this development on Wednesday, emphasizing that the contract spans a duration of 11 years and includes a 35-year commitment for maintenance.

This collaboration seeks to enhance operational performance, efficiency, and safety standards by integrating advanced technology into a new series of 1,200 electric locomotives. Wabtec will be responsible for the manufacturing and supply of the brake systems from its facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, while Siemens will undertake the assembly of the locomotives at the Indian Railways factory in Dahod, Gujarat.

Gunjan Vakharia, Head of Mobility Business at Siemens, conveyed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "Siemens is deeply committed to transforming rail and mobilizing India with state-of-the-art technologies and solutions. Our partnership with Wabtec, which shares a similar vision for a green and world-class railway network, is exciting."

Sujatha Narayan, Senior Vice President and India Region Leader at Wabtec Corporation, underscored Wabtec's commitment to delivering high-performance and safety-critical products tailored for the Indian market. She highlighted the Integrated Locomotive Systems (ILS) series of braking systems, a Made in India product crafted by Wabtec's India-based engineering team.

The braking systems supplied by Wabtec are anticipated to equip the locomotives with enhanced safety features, high reliability, and longer maintenance intervals. Wabtec also highlighted its ongoing contributions to other significant Indian Railway and Metro projects within the domain of brake systems. The company's operations in India possess the capability to construct major subsystems, including couplers, air-conditioning systems, and passenger access doors. Wabtec's engineering presence in Hosur and Bengaluru positions it to provide substantial technical and service support for its initiatives in the Indian railway sector.

News by Rahul Yelligetti