SCR commissioned 148 electrical locomotives during last fiscal

With higher horsepower, higher balancing speed, regenerative braking and head-on generation systems among others, the three-phase electric locomotives provide an efficient way of powering the trains. South Central Railway (SCR) commissioned a record of 148 new three-phase electric locomotives during the last financial year, which is the highest-ever number in any year.
This is 45 per cent more when compared with the previous best of 102 three-phase locomotives commissioned in 2022-23. In a step towards “Mission electrification”, SCR has taken up electrification of rail routes across the zone on a large scale and all the traffic running routes of its network are now electrified, except for the new lines which have been recently constructed. As such, the increase in the number of three-phase electric locomotives is a timely addition and helps in meeting the increased passenger and traffic demand with more efficient locomotives.
These locos have high horsepower and can easily haul a full-length 22 LHB coach passenger train at 130 kmph without any hassle. These locomotives also offer a high balancing speed even for freight traffic and reduce the transit time for moving cargo, thereby improving the productivity of rolling stocks.
The new locos are also fitted with head-on-generation systems for powering the coaches. This system drastically reduces the use of diesel power cars for powering the rakes and thus saves fuel bill. Regenerative braking is another green feature of 3-phase locomotives, which saves 12.4 per cent of electrical energy apart from reducing carbon footprints. These can run at higher average speeds and can haul heavier trains.
In this regard, the General Manager complimented the electric branch for the timely addition of new 3-phase locomotives to the SCR locomotive fleet. He advised the team to maintain the same tempo to further enhance the addition of such locomotives in the ensuing year so at to continue to meet the increasing traffic demand from our customers.