Varanasi, January 13, 2024: When Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is going on around the country at that time the fruits of Viksit Bharat is being felt in the production of Railways. Banaras Locomotive Workshop (BLW) in Varanasi under the Ministry of Railways, achieving a remarkable 99% production of “Made in India” items. BLW’s General Manager, Basudev Panda, has set a goal to achieve 100% by 2025.

Journalists from Tripura who are visiting Varanasi as part of #ViksitBharatSankalpYatra
media tour today visted the Banaras Locomotive Works and was briefed about the different milestones achived by @blwvaranasi pic.twitter.com/d28YKUlHU3

— PIB in Tripura (@PIBAgartala) January 12, 2024

As a component of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY) initiative, a team of journalists and photojournalists, guided by a senior official from the Central Bureau of Communication, visited the Banaras Locomotive Workshop in Varanasi. During their visit, they gained insights into the production of world-class locomotives for both passenger and freight transport, not only serving India but also meeting the needs of numerous countries.

GM B. Panda expressed his joy at the growth of Banaras Locomotive Workshop (BLW) over the past eight years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election from Varanasi parliamentary constituency in 2014. He highlighted the positive developments, including the shift to manufacturing indigenous equipment, reengineering the loco assembly line, and achieving significant milestones in locomotive production.

GM Panda said “In the span of the last eight years, BLW has experienced gratifying progress by initiating the production of indigenous equipment. Initially dedicated to Steam engines, the transition ensued towards Diesel locomotives, eventually embracing electric engines since the fiscal year 2016-17. A notable feat during this period was the comprehensive training provided to our existing professionals, equipping them to contribute to the manufacturing of electric engines.”

“Significant improvements have been made to the Loco assembly line, which underwent re-engineering to enhance the production process. The assembly activities are now organized into eight distinct stages, each delineating specific activities, manpower involvement, completion times, and parallel tasks.”

“Previously relying on ALCO technology from America to manufacture high horsepower EMD locomotives. The current focus has shifted towards achieving 100 percent electrification. The government’s emphasis on locomotive modernization, marked by the establishment of IRTS, DAS, and CVRS systems, aims to enhance efficiency and safety”, the official said.

As affirmed by the General Manager, BLW is currently producing 460 locomotives annually, averaging one and a half locomotives per day. The milestone of manufacturing the 10,000th locomotive was celebrated with an inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023. Among these, 8,300 are diesel engines, with the remaining 1,700 being electric engines. There are expectations for the electrification from June 2024 onwards.

Senior Director General Manager & CPRO Vijay said that the BLW has extended a total of 172 locomotives to countries like Tanzania, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Sudan, Senegal, Angola, Mali, Mozambique, and Malaysia, with a notable 49 locomotives sent to Bangladesh. In addition to international exports, BLW has catered to the domestic demand, supplying 633 locomotives to entities such as SAIL, NTPC, Port Trusts, Vishakhapatnam Steel Plants, State Electricity Boards, NALCO, BCCL, BMMIL, JSW, OPGC, etc., until June 2023.

With a workforce exceeding 6,000 employees, BLW has achieved a commendable total revenue of Rs 1,422 crore through the sale of locomotives and spares to NRC and export since the financial year 2015-16. BLW has crossed the 1500 electric locomotives manufacturing milestone in the month of June 2023. BLW has achieved highest ever electric locomotive (51 nos.) production in the month of June 2023. BLW has turned out 10,000th locomotive in the month of December 2023.

It is noteworthy that the foundation stone of Diesel Locomotive Workshop (DLW) was laid by Dr. Rajendra Prasad on April 23, 1956, and the workshop’s inauguration took place on January 3, 1964, spanning an expansive township area of 210.68 hectares.

BLW’s GM B Panda was accompanied by Senior DGM and CPRO Vijay, PRO Rajesh Kumar, Chief Electrical Engineer Loco Arun Kumar Sharma and others. During the visit to the workshop, work manager Mukesh Karidhal and work manager Krishna Mohan Chauhan were also present.