Siemens Won Dahod Locomotive Factory Bid Through Transparent Process: Railways Responds To Congress Leader's Allegations

The Ministry of Railways on Monday (23 June) firmly rebutted allegations raised by Congress leader Brijendra Singh regarding the Dahod electric locomotive factory project in Gujarat, jointly operated by Siemens and Indian Railways.

At a press conference, Singh had raised questions about the 2022 bidding process that awarded the contract to Siemens and alleged a possible conflict of interest, citing the past corporate association of Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw with Siemens.

He also questioned whether the project would truly establish Dahod as an advanced manufacturing hub, claiming only assembly and testing were happening at the plant.

Responding to these claims, the Ministry of Railways said in a official statement, “There is no question of conflict of interest because the process was followed as per rules and procedures that Indian Railways has always followed. There is no involvement of the Minister of Railways in the tender evaluation process.”

The ministry further emphasised the shift to a fully institutional process managed by empowered Railway Board members and zonal units from 2016.

On the technical side, both Siemens and Alstom, the only two global manufacturers capable of building 9,000 horsepower electric locomotives participated in the tender.

“The tender was evaluated by a team of technical and financial experts, in line with the processes that Indian Railways has always followed,” the statement said.

The Ministry described the price discovery as “highly competitive” and stressed that “there is no change in the tender conditions.”

Countering Singh’s claims about lack of local manufacturing, the ministry stated that “about 89 per cent of the components used in Dahod locomotives are made in India,” with components manufactured at multiple sites across the country and supplied to various locomotive makers.

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