Siemens is obliged to deliver 1,200 electric locomotives and equipment servicing for 35 years under the agreement. Also, it is the most significant ever in India.
The Siemens-designed, 1,200-horsepower trains, with a top speed of 120 km (75 miles)/hr, will be completed in the Indian Railways Factory in Gujarat state over the next 11 years, with deliveries beginning in 24 months.
According to Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter, these new locomotives can substitute 500,000 to 800,000 trucks over their lifecycle.
Peter informed Reuters that the order was a significant move forward for Siemens in India. The company had formerly been powerful in North America and central Europe in rolling stock but mainly provided elements and infrastructure in India.
Peter said in an interview that India is looking for technology, better efficiency, and a more extended train lifespan. India built their trains in the past, but they want to boost reliability and average speeds.
The deal is the most delinquent bumper contract succeeded by Siemens after it signed a 900 million euro deal for a new metro line in Sydney, Australia, in December.
Rail Network Share Might Be Increased
Although this arrangement would predominantly emerge as orders in 2023, Peter was convinced about reaching Siemens’s plan to increase mobility business revenue by 6-9% this year.
According to him, Siemens was also looking at other train contracts in India, the world’s biggest rail market, with 24 million passengers traveling daily on more than 22,000 trains.
The government wants to improve the rail network’s share of cargo transport to 40-45% from the existing 27%, said Siemens, whose first contact in India, a London to Calcutta telegraph line, goes back to 1867.
