The Ministry of Railways on Thursday said that Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) “is realizing the concept of Make in India, Made for World”.
“Banaras Locomotive Works, a production unit of Indian Railways, is realizing the concept of ‘Make in India, Made for World’. The locomotives manufactured here are not only being used in the country but are also being exported to many countries of the world,” said the ministry while retweeting a tweet of the BLW.
On Thursday, BLW tweeted some pictures from inside the production unit showing the manufacturing of the train engines.
About Banaras Locomotive Works
The Banaras Locomotive Works was formerly known as Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). The unit is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. A production unit of Indian Railways (IR), DLW ceased manufacturing diesel locomotives in 2019 (March). In Oct 2020, it was renamed BLW. In the country, it was the largest diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer. Presently, BLW produces mostly electric locomotives (WAP-7 and WAG-9).
BLW exports for the world!
In addition to the Indian Railways, BLW, on a regular basis, exports locomotives to other countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It also exports engines to Senegal, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania, Angola, and Vietnam.
History of Banaras Locomotive Works
Banaras Locomotive Works was founded in 1961 as the DLW. On 3 January 1964 (three years later), it rolled out its first locomotive. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 (back to back), it bagged Best Production Unit Shield awards.
In March 2018, it successfully altered two old ALCO (American Locomotive Company) diesel loco WDG-3A into an electric loco WAGC-3 (WAG-10). It was the first of its kind experiment in the world. In March 2019, it developed the country’s first bi-mode locomotive (the WDAP-5).