Indian Railways is using slower freight locomotives on passenger trains because of a shortage of engines designed for passenger services, with railway records showing 80 to 100 such cases each month and delays running into several hours.
The disruption has affected railway zones across the country, according to a report by The Times of India citing railway records and officials. Freight locomotives generally operate at lower permitted speeds than passenger engines, reducing train speeds on sections where faster running is authorised.
One recent case involved Train No. 11044, the Ballia-Dadar Central Express. On September 3, the train was scheduled to operate with a WAP-4 passenger locomotive, capable of speeds exceeding 130 kmph. North Eastern Railway instead arranged a freight locomotive certified for speeds of up to 100 kmph because a suitable passenger engine was unavailable.
Railway records cited in the report said the train lost time on the Bina-Khandwa section between 13:26 and 00:59. The incident resulted in a recorded detention of 328 minutes, or 5 hours and 28 minutes.
Another set of records from September 21 showed at least two passenger trains operating with WAG-9 freight locomotives, which have a maximum running capacity of 100 kmph. Train No. 14102, the Kanpur Central-Prayagraj Sangam Inter City Express, was assigned a WAG-9 instead of its scheduled WAP-1 passenger locomotive, which can operate at up to 130 kmph. A railway source said the substitution caused a delay of at least 30 minutes on sections where the permitted speed was 130 kmph.
Train No. 17601, connecting Kacheguda in Telangana with Shri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, was also assigned a WAG-9 instead of its scheduled WAP-7 passenger engine. The substitution resulted in detention and affected the train’s overall punctuality, according to the report.
Indian Railways had approximately 17,900 locomotives in September 2026, including around 13,700 electric and 4,200 diesel engines. Of the electric fleet, about 3,400 were passenger locomotives from the WAP series. Only 284 of the diesel locomotives were deployed for passenger services, while most others were used for freight, shunting, departmental and related duties.
Railway data showed that the total locomotive fleet stood at 10,456 engines in 2013-14, including 4,823 electric and 5,633 diesel locomotives. The number of electric passenger locomotives in that year was 1,371. Officials attributed the shift in fleet composition partly to the expansion of electrification after 2014, which gradually reduced diesel locomotive production while electric locomotive manufacturing increased.
The Railway Ministry said it was accelerating locomotive production. It has approved 492 passenger locomotives for 2026-27 and another 187 for 2027-28, taking the planned total for the two financial years to 679. According to a senior ministry official quoted in the report, the 2026-27 programme includes 326 WAP-7 locomotives and 166 WAP-7 locomotives. The official also cited the adoption of modern trainsets and improved utilisation of existing assets.
A senior zonal railway official said locomotive production had increased significantly over the past 12 years, while shortages resulting from earlier manufacturing gaps would be addressed over time. The ministry said train operations had expanded substantially and that efforts were under way to provide safe and comfortable journeys to passengers. The approved production programme and fleet-utilisation measures are the next stated steps in addressing the shortage.
