Update For GE Transportation, a Passage to India The first of 1,000 GE Transportation diesel-electric Evolution Series locomotives for Indian Railways (IR) arrived at India’s Mundra Port on Oct. 11. The ES43ACmi is the first locomotive running on IR that complies with UIC1, the international emissions standard established by the International Union of Railways (Union Internationale des Chemins de fer). Designed at the John F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore, ES43ACmi 49002 is the first of 40 locomotives to be imported to India from the U.S. The remaining 960 will be built at GE’s Brilliant Factory, which is being constructed at Marhowra in Bihar and will open in 2018. GE notes that the Brilliant Factory “marries lean principles with additive manufacturing and software analytics for the most efficient production. The partnership will also provide technical training and employment opportunities for the local community in Bihar.” The ES43ACmi, a dual-cab design
equipped with a 4,500-hp prime-mover, is one of two locomotive models GE Transportation is building for IR. The second model, the ES57ACi, features a 6,000-hp power plant. It is currently in the design phase and will begin production shortly. Development and manufacturing of the ES43ACmi resulted from a $2.5 billion
agreement for 1,000 locomotives signed in 2015 as part of the Government of India’s Public Private Partnership program to modernize rail infrastructure. “This agreement remains one of the most promising infrastructure projects in the country and underscores the importance of the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative,” GE said.
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November 2017 // Railway Age 11