The engines produced in Bihar’s Marhaura are set to become a global presence, operating on railways across the world. This marks a significant milestone as the first export of an engine made in Bihar. The initiative supports Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision and embraces the concept of ‘Make in Bihar – Make for the World.’ The initial export is planned for Guinea.
This is a major achievement resulting from the ‘Make in Bihar’ initiative. The Marhaura factory is a joint venture between Wabtec Inc. and Indian Railways. Wabtec holds 76% of the share, and the Railways, 24%. The unit began operations in 2018, and until now, it has produced 729 powerful diesel engines. These include 545 of 4500 HP and 184 of 6000 HP. The contract for 140 engines, valued at approximately 3000 crore, was finalized after a visit by three ministers from Guinea. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially launch these locomotives.
The facility, spread over 226 acres, is named KOMO. With the increase in exports, the factory is also expanding its production capacity. This facility is aimed to become a global hub for locomotive manufacturing. Approximately 40-50% of the parts are sourced from different states of India, such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Jamshedpur, while some specific engine parts are imported from the United States.
As per the Railway information, the target for the current financial year is to export 37 locomotives. While in the next financial year, it is planned to export 82 locomotives and in the third year, 31 locomotives are planned to be exported. All of these locomotives will have AC cabs. Every locomotive has a single cab and two locomotives will be able to pull the weight of 100 wagons with the maximum allowable speed. The Marhaura factory in Bihar has 285 direct employees and is indirectly providing jobs to 1215 people. Besides, over 2100 people across the country are working for the joint venture in services and other tasks.