Intending to celebrate its golden jubilee on a high mark, Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, has rolled out the country’s most powerful engine of 5500 HP.

It is considered to be the largest locomotive to be used on a 22-axle load in the world, though several countries have engines more powerful carrying load on higher axle loads.

The WDG5 prototype, introduced in the North Central Railway as a pilot project, has the capacity to attain a speed of 100 km-per-hour, promising better throughput. The new engine comes with advanced technologies pertaining to electronic fuel injection for higher fuel efficiency and emission norms.

The demand for a bigger sized engine has been higher with the country joining the one-billion-tonne club and taking to heavy haulage system for better utilisation of the existing capacity and releasing space for more passenger trains.