Bangladesh Railway Class 2900

Bangladesh Railway Class 2900 is a class of meter-gauge diesel-electric locomotives of Bangladesh operated by Bangladesh Railway.[1][2][3][4] Total 39 locomotives of this class entered the fleet of Bangladesh Railway in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2013. These 39 locomotives are used in both passenger and freight trains. All of them are currently in service.[5]

Bangladesh Railway Class 2900
Locomotive 2938 with Subarna Express
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer Electro Motive Division Builder Hyundai Rotem Model EMD GT18LA-2 Build date 1999–2013 Total produced 39
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR A1A-A1A Gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ^3⁄8 in) Loco weight 72 ton Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 3,000 litres (660 imp gal; 790 US gal) Prime mover EMD 8-645E3C Engine type Two-stroke V8 engine Aspiration Roots-type supercharger Traction motors DC Cylinders 8 Transmission Diesel–electric Loco brake Straight Air Couplers Norwegian
Performance figures Maximum speed 107 km/h (66 mph) Power output 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) Tractive effort 98,000 lbf (435.93 kN)
Career Operators Bangladesh Railway Class MEI-15 Numbers 2901–2939 Current owner Bangladesh Railway Disposition All active

Builders details

Class 2900 locos are manufactured by Hyundai and Hyundai Rotem of South Korea[6] under the license of EMD. These 39 locos came to Bangladesh in 4 phases:

• 1999 = 2901–2908
• 2004 = 2909–2919
• 2011 = 2920–2928
• 2013 = 2929–2939

Technical details

They are 1,500 hp locos. Their model is EMD GT18LA-2, a variant of the EMD GT18LC-2 model. Their wheel arrangement is A1A-A1A. The prime mover is 8-cylinder EMD 8-645E3C. They have much similar specifications to Class 2600 and Class 2700 locos.

Classification and numbering

The class name or specification for class 2900 locos is "MEI-15". Here, M = Meter-gauge, E = Diesel-electric, I = Hyundai and 15 = 15 * 100 = 1500 hp. They are numbered from 2901 to 2939.

Usage

Class 2900 locos are used in both passenger and freight trains. Among the passenger trains, these locos are used on most meter-gauge inter-city trains and on many mail/express trains.

Color

1. Sky-yellow
2. Green-yellow
3. Blue-yellow
4. White with red and green stripes (no longer used)

Maintenance

Class 2900 locos are maintained at Central Locomotive Workshop of Dinajpur and Diesel Shop of Chittagong.

Accidents and incidents

• 7 October 2016: Loco no. 2933 was one of the newest locomotives of the class which met a fatal accident in Noyapara upazila, Habiganj. The loco caught fire soon after it derailed with the Parabat Express near Noapara railway station. The driver's cab and electrical cabinet of the loco were completely destroyed in the fire.[7] On 25 February 2020, Central Locomotive Workshop repaired and fully restored this loco and now, this loco is running in service.[8]
• 12 November 2019: Loco no. 2923 was hauling the Turna Express which overran a red signal and collided head-on with the Udayan Express at Mondobag railway station, Kasba. 16 people were killed and over 100 were injured.[9] As of December 2019, loco 2923 has been repaired and has rejoined the locomotive fleet in service.

Gallery

• 
  2902
• 
  2904
• 
  2909
• 
  2911
• 
  2913
• 
  2914
• 
  2915
• 
  2916
• 
  2919
• 
  2921 (right)
• 
  2924
• 
  2927
• 
  2929
• 
  2930
• 
  2932
• 
  2933
• 
  2934
• 
  2935
• 
  2937
• 
  2938
• 
  2939

References

1. "Analysis of Problems" (PDF). Bangladesh Railway.
2. "GT18L-2 — Trainspo". trainspo.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
3. "Final Report on Rolling Stock Maintenance" (PDF). Asian Development Bank.
4. "Railway goes backward". The Daily Star. 2012-12-22. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
5. "Status of Railway Tracks and Rolling Stocks in Bangladesh" (PDF).
6. "Railway to procure nine locomotives". The Daily Star. 12 January 2010.
7. "Parabat Express engine catches fire". Daily Sun. 7 October 2016.
8. রেলের অচল ইঞ্জিন সচল, বাঁচল ৩০ কোটি টাকা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
9. Hartley-Parkinson, Richard. "At least 16 dead after two packed trains are ripped apart after crash". Metro. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 12 November 2019.

External links

Media related to Bangladesh Railway Class 2900 at Wikimedia Commons