CAF surpasses 2,000 locomotives equipped with its traction technology in India

CAF marks 15 years of collaboration with India’s railway sector by reaching a significant milestone: more than 2,000 passenger and freight locomotives are now equipped with its traction converters.

According to the company, the programme began in 2011 with an order for just two prototype converters based on IGBT technology and has since grown to more than 4,000 units supplied. Over this period, the project has encompassed technology transfer, testing, industrialisation, localisation and the progressive scaling-up of production capacity in India.

The initiative has been developed in collaboration with Indian company CG Power and Industrial Solutions and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), one of Indian Railways’ leading locomotive manufacturing facilities. By 2018, more than 250 locomotives manufactured by CLW were already operating with CAF’s traction solution.

Applications of this technology include the WAG-9 and WAP-7 electric locomotives, primarily used for freight and passenger services, respectively. CAF Power & Automation has contributed to the evolution of their traction systems towards solutions based on IGBT technology.

CAF’s technological presence in India’s railway sector also extends to other projects. In 2019, CAF Power & Automation was selected to develop and manufacture a prototype traction chain and electrical components for Train 18, later known as the Vande Bharat Express, one of India’s flagship railway modernisation projects.

The growth from the first two prototypes in 2011 to more than 2,000 locomotives today reflects the consolidation of a long-standing industrial partnership based on innovation, technology transfer and the localisation of production.

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