Sri Lanka Railways has placed an order at Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), a railways PSU to the supply 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives and six DMU (diesel multiple units) train sets worth Rs. 6.8 billion the Times of Oman reported.
DMU train sets do not require separate locomotive as the engines are incorporated into one or more of its coaches.
All locomotives and train sets are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and manufactured in Varanasi and Chennai, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The contract will be funded under the Indian Line of Credit to Sri Lanka announced in 2011, and supplies will be made over the next two years, the official said.
RITES has exported 20 DMU train sets, three locomotives to Sri Lanka in previous occations, besides providing expertise for setting up railway maintenance facilities and training of the island nation's railway officials during the period 2008-12.
Supplies of locomotives from Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi would be completed in 2017-18.
In order to foster regional cooperation with these countries, the Indian government has extended various lines of credit for funding railway projects for export of Indian Railways-manufactured locomotives and rolling stock.