INTERACTION
Saurabh Prasad,
Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer & Head, Locomotive
Manufacture, Central Railway
Q: So far how many locomotives have been manufactured?
Prasad: We started to manufacture shunting type locomotives from 2007 and in the last 7 years, 155 shunting locomotives have been dispatched to customers across India, making us the largest manufacturer of shunting locomotives in India. For Hill Railways we have so far manufactured 23 locos.
Q: What are all the safety features in the modern locomotive?
Prasad: Passenger safety was given topmost priority while designing the new locomotive. The engines that are manufactured today have a vigilance-controlled device, which is active every 90 seconds. It can detect any fault in the engine, be it the pressure levels or the working of various components in the locomotive. If there is a slight fault, it will indicate it on a computerised panel before bringing the loco to a halt.
“The Locomotive – 70 feet long, 14 feet tall, 10 feet wide and weighs around 26,000kg”
Q: Tell us about your vendor development programme?
Prasad: We source components from various manufacturers in India and globally. We have set up a strong supply chain with reputed vendors across the globe for delivering locomotives in time to our customers, which are built to specifications of Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) that emphasise on providing quality technology at a competitive price. ACI
