Alstom secures WAG-12B maintenance contract in India

Alstom, through its joint venture with Indian Railways, Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited (Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited), has been awarded a €62 million contract to provide maintenance services for WAG-12B electric locomotives at the Sabarmati locomotive depot. The contract covers the maintenance of the remaining 300 locomotives yet to be delivered under the original 800-unit supply agreement signed in 2015 and runs until February 2031.

Expanding the WAG-12B maintenance network
The Sabarmati contract complements Alstom’s existing maintenance operations at Saharanpur and Nagpur depots, which currently support the first 500 WAG-12B locomotives already in service. Together, these depots form a distributed maintenance network designed to ensure high fleet availability across Indian Railways’ heavy-haul freight operations.

The scope includes all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities required to meet defined reliability and availability targets. In practical terms, this covers material supply, locomotive washing, depot logistics, and the use of remote diagnostics to identify faults and optimise maintenance planning.

Maintenance model focused on availability
The work will be delivered under Alstom’s FlexCare Perform maintenance framework, which combines rolling stock servicing with upkeep of essential depot infrastructure. A key element is the deployment of Prompt Response Teams positioned at strategic locations. These teams are equipped with specialised tools and critical spare parts, enabling rapid intervention to minimise locomotive downtime during failures or unplanned events.

The contract also continues Alstom’s long-running skills development programme for Indian Railways personnel. More than 22,000 staff have already been trained under previous phases, supporting the transfer of maintenance know-how and long-term operational resilience.

Role in India’s freight and decarbonisation strategy
The WAG-12B, marketed by Alstom as the Prima T8, is a 12,000-horsepower, double-section electric freight locomotive designed to haul loads of around 6,000 tonnes. These locomotives form the backbone of Indian Railways’ strategy to increase freight throughput while reducing reliance on diesel traction.

By extending lifecycle support for the full WAG-12B fleet, the Sabarmati maintenance contract reinforces the operational foundation of India’s green and digital mobility transition. High-availability electric freight locomotives allow Indian Railways to move larger volumes of goods with lower emissions, while advanced diagnostics and structured maintenance help control lifecycle costs over decades of operation.