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It was an important day for India’s premier electric loco manufacturer; and one that recently became the world’s largest such facility. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) turned out its first 9,000 hp WAG-9 freight locomotive on 31st March 2019, the last day of the financial year.
This 9,000 hp version of the WAG-9H has been classified by IR as WAG-9 HH. The first H stands for higher axle load and the second H stands for the higher power rating. The class has been allocated a block of serial numbers starting with 90001, the number of the first unit.
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decision to upgrade the power output of the WAG-9 was taken to partly meet the demands of the upcoming electrified Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The upgraded locomotive class will also augment hauling capacity on the existing network of the Indian Railways.
Normally, a ground-up design of a locomotive involves significant cost as well as a long time frame from the design stage to revenue service. From the very beginning, the goal was to increase the power of locomotives from 6,000 hp to 9,000 hp.