After Bihar's Marhowra plant, BLW in Varanasi exports two diesel locos to Mozambique under major railway contract
Varanasi: As part of the Indian Railways’ export push, Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi has dispatched two advanced diesel locomotives to Mozambique under a major export contract, media reports said.
The shipment is part of a broader agreement with Mozambique Railways (CFM) for the supply of 10 diesel locomotives, reported The Indian Express..
The remaining eight units are expected to be delivered by December 2025, the report added.
The contract was awarded globally to RITES Ltd, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, which then commissioned BLW to manufacture the locomotives.
“These are advanced 3300 HP diesel locomotives capable of running at 100 kmph on Cape Gauge (1067 mm). BLW has previously exported locomotives to Mozambique as well,” a senior railway ministry official told the news publication.
Designed to meet international standards, the locomotives include several driver-friendly features such as a refrigerator, hot plate, mobile holder, modern cab design, and onboard toilets.
BLW data indicates that a total of 10 Cape Gauge diesel locomotives (3000 HP, AC-AC) have already been supplied to CFM since 2008–09.
Five of these were delivered during 2021–22 and 2022–23 and are currently operating successfully in Mozambique.
Locomotive exports are not limited to BLW.
The Marhowra Plant in Bihar has also entered the export arena.
On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a cutting-edge locomotive built at Marhowra for export to the Republic of Guinea—the first such export from the facility.
Established in 1956, BLW (formerly Diesel Locomotive Works) has manufactured over 10,000 locomotives for Indian Railways, as well as for steel plants, mines, ports, and overseas clients.
The first BLW export dates back to January 1976, when a locomotive was shipped to Tanzania.
Since then, 174 locomotives have been exported to nations including Vietnam, Mali, Senegal, Angola, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mozambique, and Sudan.
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