New Design Locomotive (WAG12) Most Powerful 12000 HP Made At Madhepura Factory
New Design Locomotive (WAG12) Most Powerful 12000 HP Made At Madhepura Factory
Indian Railways operationalises its most powerful 12000 HP made in India locomotive
Proud moment for Indian Railways, as it became 6th country in the world to join the elite club of producing high horse power locomotive indegenously.
It is the first time, high horse power locomotive has been operationalised on broad gauge track in the world.
The locomotive has been produced under Make in India programme.
The locomotive has made its maiden commercial run between DeenDayalUpadhaya Station to Shivpur on 18.05.2025
Manufactured by Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL), locomotive operated from Pt DeenDayalUpadhyayaJn
These locomotives are state of the art IGBT based, 3 phase drive and 12000 horse power electric locomotive
These high horse power locomotives will help to decongest the saturated tracks by improving average speed and loading capacity of freight trains
First 12000 HP made in India Locomotive, manufactured by Madhepura Electric Loco Factory situated in Bihar, was put into operation by Indian Railways from Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn Station yesterday.
New Design Locomotive at Madhepura Factory
The loco is named WAG12 with Number 60027. The train departed from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Station at 14:08 hrs in long haul formation for Dhanbad Division of East Central Railway, consisting of 118 wagons which travelled from Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn to Barwadih via Dehri-on-Sone, Garhwa Road.
It was a proud moment for Indian Railways, as it became 6th country in the world to join the elite club of producing high horse power locomotive indegenously. It is the first time, high horse power locomotive has been operationalised on broad gauge track in the world. The locomotive has been produced under Make in India programme. The Madhepura factory is the largest integrated Green Field facility built to the highest standards of quality and safety with production capacity of 120 locomotives and spread across a massive 250 acres.
Main Factory Building
These locomotives are state of art IGBT based, 3 phase drive, 9000 KW (12000 horse power) electric locomotive. The locomotive is capable of maximum tractive effort of 706 kN, which is capable of starting and running a 6000 T train in the gradient of 1 in 150. The locomotive with twin Bo-Bo design having 22.5 T (Tonnes) axle load is upgradable to 25 Tonnes with design speed of 120 kmph. This locomotive will be a game changer for further movement of coal trains for Dedicated Freight Corridor. The locomotives can be tracked through GPS for its strategic use through embedded software and Antennae being lifted through the servers on ground through microwave link.
The locomotive is capable of working on railway tracks with conventional OHE lines as well as on Dedicated Freight corridors with high rise OHE lines. The locomotive has air-conditioned driver cabs on either side. The locomotive is equipped with regenerative braking system which provides substantial energy savings during operations. These high horse power locomotives will help to decongest the saturated tracks by improving average speed of freight trains.
Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL) will manufacture 800 State of the Art 12000 HP Electric Freight Locomotives in 11 years and being one of the most power full electric locomotive in the world will increase the speed of freight trains and will allow faster, safer and heavier freight trains to move across the country, thus reducing congestion in traffic. It will also lead to considerable savings in energy consumption through re-generative braking. As part of the project, factory along with township has been set up in Madhepura, Bihar with capacity to manufacture 120 locomotives per year. The project will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country. More than Rs 2000 Crores has already been invested in the project by the company.
Along with the factory, socio-economic development in Madhepura is being driven by this project. As part of CSR initiative skill centres are being set up in Madhepura to impart training to local people.
It may be noted that Indian Railways entered into Procurement cum Maintenance Agreement with Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL), as part of the largest Foreign Direct Investment project of Indian Railways to transform the heavy freight transportation landscape of the country. This is ‘Make in India’ Initiative by India Railways (IR).
The project started in 2025 and the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the project on 10th April’ 2025. The prototype locomotive was delivered in March 2025. Based on the test results having design issues, the complete locomotive including bogies has been redesigned. The new design of locomotive has been inspected by RDSO at Madhepura factory and cleared for dispatch from factory on 16th Nov’ 2025. Further RDSO has conducted oscillation trials at various speeds upto 132 kmph and the locomotive has passed oscillation trials successfully. The locomotive has made its maiden commercial run between Deen Dayal Upadhaya Station to Shivpur on 18.05.2025. The design was completed for the whole locomotive in a record time of four to six months and despite the initial hiccups and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it could not dampen the spirit of August initiative of IR, surpassing all odds we could secure the permission of the Bihar Govt. to resume operations at the Madhepura Factory putting the project back on track
Here’s an in‑depth look at the WAG‑12B electric locomotive—India’s most powerful freight locomotive, built at the Madhepura Electric Locomotive Factory (MELPL) in Bihar.
Contents
🚄 Overview: WAG‑12B – India’s 12,000 HP Freight Workhorse
- Designation: WAG‑12B
- Power Output: 12,000 HP (≈ 9 MW) — a world-class rating
- First Commercial Run: 18 May 2020 between Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and Shivpur on East Central Railway.
- Locomotive No.: 60027 (Prototype)
- Manufacturer: Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL)—Alstom (74%) & Indian Railways (26%) JV
🏭 Madhepura Factory: The Backbone of the WAG‑12 Program
- Built under: “Make in India” initiative
- Land under operation: Over 250 acres with greenfield infrastructure; production capacity ~120 locos per year
- Total Production: 530 units produced by July 2025, part of the 800‑unit contract
⚙️ Technical Specifications & Features
- Configuration: Twin-section Bo′Bo′ + Bo′Bo′ (two units acting as one locomotive)
- Maximum Speed: 100 km/h (upgradable to 120 km/h)
- Axle Load: 22.5 t (expandable to 25 t)
- Tractive Effort: Starting TE ≈ 706 kN; continuous TE ≈ 540 kN; regenerative braking ≈ 514 kN
- Design Capability: Hauls up to 6,000 t rakes on 1-in‑150 gradients at up to 120 km/h—improving throughput on Dedicated Freight Corridors
- Energy Efficiency: IGBT‑based propulsion with regenerative braking for energy savings
🧠 Smart Features & Driver Comfort
- Equipped with GPS-based remote diagnostics, cruise control, autopilot, incident recorder, and real‑time health monitoring (TCMS)
- Dual air‑conditioned driver cabins, ergonomic layout, designed to resist extreme heat, dust, and humidity across Indian terrains
📊 Strategic Benefits & Impact
- Speeds Up Freight Traffic: Doubles average haul speed while supporting greater loading capacity, easing congestion for both freight and passenger routes
- Support for Dedicated Freight Corridors: The WAG‑12B is engineered to pull long freight rakes reliably on newly operational DFC sections
- Green Mobility: LED lighting, low-voltage systems, and regenerative braking support IR’s sustainability goals
- Economic Upliftment: Generates direct and indirect employment in Bihar; part of one of IR’s largest FDI-backed manufacturing ventures
✅ Quick Facts Summary
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Horsepower/Power Output | 12,000 HP (9 MW) |
| Configuration | Twin‑section WAG‑12B (Bo′Bo′ + Bo′Bo′) |
| Max Speed | 100 km/h (upgradeable to 120 km/h) |
| Hauling Capacity | ~6,000 tonnes on 1/150 gradient |
| Production Facility | MELPL, Madhepura (Alstom + Indian Railways JV) |
| Annual Manufacturing Rate | ~120 locomotives |
| Units Delivered Till July 2025 | ~530 units |
Would you like assistance with:
- Current assignment routes and depots (e.g. Saharanpur, Nagpur)?
- Maintenance and servicing schedules for WAG‑12?
- Comparison with other high power locomotives globally or earlier WAG classes?
- Freight corridor performance impacts or passenger train clearance improvements?
Feel free to let me know—I’d be happy to dig deeper into any aspect you’re interested in!