1 week ago
Indian Railways Adds Waterless Urinals to Powerful Locomotives
Train drivers often work in locomotives that do not have a toilet or urinal.
This can make long journeys especially difficult.
The problem is also important because more women are becoming train drivers.
A company making powerful electric locomotives in Bihar has tested a waterless urinal.
The test has been running for about four months.
New locomotives are expected to include the urinals inside them.
Older locomotives may have them added later.
The urinal is intended to be used only when the locomotive is stopped for safety reasons.
New 12,000-horsepower electric locomotives will include waterless urinals for train drivers.
Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited has tested a retrofitted prototype for about four months.
Existing locomotives are expected to receive retrofitted urinals, while new ones will have them built in.
The locomotives can travel at 120 kmph and haul up to 6,000 tonnes of freight.
Indian Railways said more than 2,800 locomotives had urinals as of February 2026.
- Who
- Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited, Indian Railways, and locomotive pilots are involved.
- What
- Waterless urinals are being tested and introduced in 12,000-horsepower electric locomotives.
- Where
- The locomotives are manufactured at the Madhepura facility in Bihar, India.
- When
- The prototype had operated for about four months; the 650th locomotive was supplied on August 15, and Railways reported figures as of February 2026.
- Why
- The urinals are intended to address the lack of toilet facilities for locomotive pilots and support the phased improvement of electric locomotives.
Key facts
- Locomotive power
- 12,000 horsepower
- Design speed
- 120 kmph
- Freight capacity
- 6,000 tonnes
- Prototype status
- A retrofitted waterless urinal had operated for around four months.
- Production milestone
- The company supplied its 650th locomotive on August 15.
- Manufacturing contract
- The 2015 contract covers 800 locomotives by March 2028.
- Urinal rollout
- More than 2,800 locomotives had been provided with urinals as of February 2026.
Quotes
Vivek Garg
Managing Director of Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Limited.
“The specifications of this locomotive were framed around 2014-15, when such systems were not widely available or integrated into locomotive products.”
indianexpress.com
“When a train or locomotive is moving, you would not like the driver to leave the desk and utilise a waterless urinal, unlike a plane.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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