Electric locomotive factory to be set up at Madhepura

New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) A greenfield high horsepower electric locomotive factory will be set up at a cost of Rs 1294 crore at Madhepura in Bihar, once the parliamentary constituency of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

This was announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After becoming operationalised, it will produce 120 electric locomotives of high horsepower annually.

Railway Ministry sources said these electric engines would be of 6000 horsepower.

Mr Chidambaram said work on the factory would start this year and it would be completed in three years.

While presenting his first Railway Budget in 2004, Mr Prasad had announced setting up a new production unit for wheel manufacturing at Chapra, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by him.

UNI