Ahmedabad, Sep 27 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated a WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed at Sabarmati and flagged off a high-capacity WAG-12 electric locomotive as part of a package of railway projects worth more than Rs 1,542 crore in Gujarat.
HM Shah inspected the newly developed maintenance shed before dedicating it to the nation.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi were also present during the programme.
The Rs 700-crore shed has been developed for the homing and maintenance of up to 300 WAG-12 HHP electric locomotives, which have a capacity of around 12,000 HP and are designed to haul heavy and long freight trains.
According to railway authorities, 154 WAG-12 locomotives have already been homed at the Sabarmati facility, with the total fleet planned to reach 300 by 2027-28.
The WAG-12 locomotive flagged off by HM Shah from Sabarmati is part of the railway expansion and modernisation measures being undertaken in the Ahmedabad Division.
The locomotives are intended to support higher-capacity freight operations and improve the availability of electric traction for heavy freight movement.
The programme also includes the launch of the country’s first LNG-powered train, with HM Shah flagging it off from Sabarmati railway station.
The train uses a diesel-plus-LNG dual-fuel system, with two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars converted for LNG use. More than 2,000 km of field trials have been completed on the two converted DPCs.
The broader package includes the rollout of the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system over 404 km of railway network in the Ahmedabad Division at an estimated cost of around Rs 411 crore.
Automatic block signalling has also been provided across 122.57 km of the Sabarmati-Kalol-Bhandu Motidau and Sabarmati-Sanand-Jakhwada sections at an estimated cost of Rs 118.83 crore.
HM Shah is also scheduled to inaugurate and launch the doubling of the 21-km Sabarmati-Sarkhej railway section, estimated to cost around Rs 313.27 crore and targeted for completion by March 2028.
The project covers Sabarmati, Gandhigram, Vastrapur and Sarkhej stations and includes works involving bridges, road underbridges and level crossings.
The series of projects cover railway safety, signalling, freight capacity, line expansion and alternative fuel use in Gujarat.
The programme is part of HM Shah’s visit to Ahmedabad on Sunday, during which he is also attending a programme marking the 92nd birth anniversary of Acharya Padmasagar Surishwarji Maharaj.
–IANS
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