They are faster and safer — the 800 new Prima E double diesel-electric locomotives being built by Alstom for Indian State Railways. The braking systems are being supplied by Knorr-Bremse, whose production site in Palwal, northwestern India, meets two crucial requirements to receive the order: it can deliver rapidly and at the same time comply with strict localization regulations.
Over the next decades, India intends to significantly expand its rail freight network, creating two new freight corridors across the country, each well over a thousand kilometers in length. One will link the northern state of Punjab with West Bengal, and the other will run from the Jawaharlal Nehru Harbour near Mumbai to the region round the capital city of Delhi. The 800 Prima E double diesel-electric locomotives will also operate on these two lines, pulling trains weighing of up to 6,000 tons at speeds of up to 120 km/h. Knorr-Bremse is responsible for supplying the braking systems for this order, ensuring that the locomotives can always be brought safely to a halt.
“We are very proud to be involved in such an important infrastructure project,” said Klaus Deller, chairman of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division. The company is supplying complete braking systems for the locomotives — brake control unit, air treatment and bogie equipment — all of them tailor-made for local conditions: In this case, the UIC standard has been adapted for Indian Railways. The systems are based on the CCBII-IR brake control system, which is itself a development of the CCBII system and for some years has been installed in the majority of new locomotives operated by Indian Railways. Knorr-Bremse is also taking on responsibility for servicng its systems in 250 of the WAG 12 double locomotives for a minimum of 13 years.
“Thanks to the relocation of our Indian plant almost three years ago, we now have a local presence close to the customer,” explained Deller. The move had become necessary as the Indian rail market was rapidly expanding and the old plant had reached the limits of its capacity. The new site has 26,000 square meters of office and factory space, where Knorr-Bremse can draw on the expertise of a loyal, highly experienced workforce to manufacture brake control units, bogie equipment, compressors and air dryers mainly for the Indian mar- ket, working closely with certified regional suppliers and on the basis of the globally standardized Knorr-Bremse production system (KPS). Knorr-Bremse’s Palwal facility helps the company to meet the high localization requirements of the Indian market and generate a large proportion of the added value related to the order. The first deliveries are slated for mid-2017 and will run for a period of 11 years.
