# Alstom eyes new Indian Railways order for 200 locomotives 2026-08-24T23:12:13+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet French train maker Alstom is in talks with Indian Railways for an order to build 200 more electric freight locomotives at its Madhepura plant in Bihar. The existing contract for 800 engines is expected to be completed by March 2028, said Vivek Garg, managing director of Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt Ltd (MELPL). MELPL is a joint venture between Alstom and Indian Railways, set up in 2015. The company manufactures and maintains 12,000 horsepower electric freight locomotives. About 90% of the engine parts are sourced locally, though wheels and axles are still imported. MELPL is in talks with Ramkrishna Forgings for local wheel supply, but progress depends on the new order. Garg added that the existing contract allows for design changes if the railways requests them. The Madhepura plant could also work on hydrogen and battery train technology in the future. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The 800-locomotive contract, India's largest such order when signed in 2015, was a flagship example of the 'Make in India' push in heavy rail. Alstom's Madhepura facility was built with an initial investment of about Rs 2,000 crore and was designed to achieve 90% localisation. The new order for 200 units, if finalised, would extend the plant's life beyond 2028 and provide the volume needed to justify a domestic wheel forging line. Indian Railways has committed to full electrification of its broad-gauge network, which increases the long-term demand for electric freight locomotives. The next signal to watch is a formal letter of award from the Railway Board, expected within the current financial year. ## Coverage - bazaar.businesstoday.in Reports company's plans and quotes without taking a side This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Alstom, Indian Railways, Madhepura, Make in India, Vivek Garg Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/alstom-eyes-new-indian-railways-order-for-200-locomotives/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/alstom-eyes-new-indian-railways-order-for-200-locomotives/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/