Made in Uttar pradesh locomotive has been sent to Mozambique. The tweet says "Made In India - Made for the world. Export of first batch of 02- 3000 Hp Cape Gauge Locomotives out of total order of 06 locomotives and 90 stainless steel passenger Coaches to Mozambique. This will enhance Indo African Relationship and boost Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan." - Ministry of Railways.





This locomotive is designed and developed by Indian Railway's Banaras Locomotive Works in a record time of just 14 months.

Mozambique is an African country with a population of around 3 crores. Capital of Mozambique is Maputo.This is a poor country with Human Development Index (HDI) Ranking of 181. They want development and two countries are there to help i.e. India and China. The Export-Import Bank of China have made soft loans to Mozambique for infrastructure construction, for example providing US$60 million in 2006, and have twice cancelled large proportions of country's debt to China, forgiving US$22 million in 2001 and US$30 million in 2007.

This shows that Mozambique has fallen in the Debt trap of China. But the Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique refuses these statements on 11 Nov 2020. Many experts around the world says that if Mozambique didn't get an alternative they will completely get dependent on China. 

Here comes the role of India. India extends $250 Million line of credit to Mozambique. Under this credit India offers that Mozambique can buy anything from India. Mozambique immediately responds within a week and asks for locomotives as they are impressed by the Indian Railways network.

India made 3000 Hp Cape Gauge Trains for Mozambique. Cape Gauge is also known as 3 ft 6 inch gauge and it became widespread in the British Empire and is adopted as the standard gauge for the Cape Government Railways. It was adopted as a standard in Japan and Taiwan.

Cape Gauge is used in Japan, Jersey, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand Nicaragua.

The locomotive has been developed in Banaras Locomotive Works and is exported by Rail India Technical Economic Service (RITES) Limited.



This is not the first railway export. Earlier in 2017-18 India had exported MG Diesel Locomotive to Myanmar. In 2018-20 BG diesel locomotives were exported to Sri Lanka.

India has helped Mozambique also by giving COVID vaccines to Mozambique under the operation SAGAR. 

What India gets from this? How do it benefit India?

The answer is that yes it do benefit India.

  • Indian Navy has berthing rights in Mozambique.
  • Mozambique votes in favour of India in UN. 
Hope that India-Mozambique relations grows even better in future.