Banaras Locomotive Works

The Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) (formerly Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW)) in Varanasi, India, is a production unit of Indian Railways. DLW stopped manufacturing diesel locomotives in March 2019 and was renamed BLW in Oct 2020.[2]

Banaras Locomotive Works
TypeIndian Railways production unit
IndustryElectric locomotive
PredecessorDiesel Locomotive Works
FoundedAugust 1961 (August 1961)
Headquarters
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
,
India
Area served
India & South East Asian Countries
Key people
Basudev Panda (General Manager)[1]
ProductsWAP 7
WAG 9
WAG 11
WDAP-5
WAGC3
OwnerIndian Railways
Websiteblw.indianrailways.gov.in

History

Founded in 1961 as the DLW, it rolled out its first locomotive three years later, on 3 January 1964. It manufactures locomotives which are variants based on the original ALCO designs dating to 1960s and the GM EMD designs of the 1990s. In July 2006, DLW outsourced manufacture of some locomotives to Parel Workshop, Central Railway, Mumbai.[3] In 2016, it bagged "Best Production Unit Shield 2015-16" The first phase of expansion project of BLW was initiated in 2016. In 2017, it bagged the "Best Production Unit Shield 2016-17" for 2nd consecutive year. In 2018, it bagged the "Best Production Unit Shield 2017-18" of Indian Railways for 3rd consecutive year. In March 2018 it successfully converted two old ALCO diesel loco WDG-3A into an electric loco WAGC-3 (WAG-10), a first in the world. DLW stopped manufacturing diesel locomotives in March 2019 and was renamed BLW in Oct 2020.[2] It was the largest diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer in India. In March 2019, it developed the country's first bi-mode locomotive, the WDAP-5. BLW today produces mostly electric locomotives WAP-7 & WAG-9.[4]

Market

Besides the Indian Railways, BLW regularly exports locomotives to other countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, and Vietnam and also to a few users within India, such as ports, large power and steel plants and private railways.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. "Govt appoints five new general managers in Railways". The New Indian Express.
  2. "DLW to be now known as Banaras Locomotive Works". The Times of India.
  3. Verma, Kalpana (19 August 2008). "Engine manufacturing unit at Parel a boon for Rlys". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  4. "Welcome to BLW Official Website". blw.indianrailways.gov.in.
  5. "Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board flags off 40th 6,000 HP Electric Loco from Banaras Loco Works (BLW), Varanasi". pib.gov.in.

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