The Indian Railways, through its maunfacturing unit Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), manufactured 100 locomotives in 102 working days this year in FY2020-21. Despite the pandemic and the months of lockdown, it produced the first 50 electric locomotives in 70 working days, and the next 50 in only 32 working days.
CLW has achieved a feat despite the restrictions and nationwide lockdown which was put in place in the last week of March to stem the spread of COVID-19, says the Indian Railways. It tweeted that the 100th loco no. WAG9HC(32904) was depatched today. This is the best production rate accomplished despite COVID restrictions in place, the railways ministry said.
The manufacturing unit which is located in West Bengal, became the first production unit in the late 1990s in developing countries, second in Asia and fifth in the world, to manufacture state of the art, 3-phase GTO Thyristor controlled Electric Locomotive and the first indigenous 6000 hp freight electric loco WAG-9.
According to Livemint, CLW produced 402 locomotives in FY2018-19. The report stated that CLW surpassed their own record of manufacturing 350 locomotives which they had manufactured during FY2017-18. moreover, the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works has a record of producing the highest ever 3-phase Electric locomotive Shells in one calendar year of 2019. comparatively, 149 shells was produced in 2015; it increased to 231 shells in 2019. This shows a growth of 55 per cent in just five years. Furthermore, in Electric loco assembly line the Bogie Assembly shop of CLW had produced the highest numbers of 413 complete Bogie Sets in one calendar year 2019, in contrast it was 246 in 2015, growth of 66 per cent over last five years, the report said.
CLW commenced production of Electric Locomotives in 1961.
