Bangladesh Railway Class 2700

Bangladesh Railway Class 2700 diesel electric locomotive is currently (as of 2023) in service on the meter gauge of Bangladesh Railway. This dual cab locomotive series has been in service since 1994. Bangladesh Railway has a total 21 locomotives that are used in passenger services.

Bangladesh Railway Class 2700
2705 at Kamalapur railway station
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer Electro Motive Division Builder ABB Henschel, Adtranz Serial number 2701-2721 Model JT18U6 Build date 1994-1996 Total produced 21
Specifications Wheelbase A1A-A1A Loco weight 72 ton Prime mover EMD 8-645E3C
Performance figures Maximum speed 107 km/h (66 mph) Power output 1500 hp
Career Current owner Bangladesh Railway

Builders details

The Class 2700 locomotives are built by ABB Henschel and Adtranz of Germany under License of Electro Motive Division. These 21 locomotives came to Bangladesh in 2 phases. They are-

• Year 1994 = 2701-2709
• Year 1996 = 2710-2721

Technical details

The Class 2700 is a 1500 hp locomotive. The Electro Motive Division export model of this locomotive is GT18L-2. The wheel arrangement of this locomotive is A1A-A1A. This locomotive can achieve speeds up to 107 kilometres per hour (66 mph) with passenger trains. The Class 2700 locomotives have a similar specification to the Bangladesh Railway 2600 and 2900 class locomotives.

The Bangladesh Railway classification of this locomotive is 'M.E.L -15'. Here - M stands for meter gauge, E Stands for diesel electric, L stands for Henschel and 15 stands for locomotive horsepower (x100).

Use

2719 with commuter train

The Class 2700 locomotive can be used both for passenger services and freight services. It was highly recommended for prominent Bangladeshi trains like Subarna Express, Sonarbangla Express, Parabat Express etc. However, Class 2900 and Class 3000 are preferred by Bangladesh Railway for pulling prominent meter-gauge trains nowadays. Class 2700 pulls commuters and short-distance intercity trains.

Initially, Class 2700 locomotives were used for freight services as well. Due to several mechanical constraints, they were taken off from the freight service.

Maintenance

Class 2700 Locomotives are maintained in the following workshops:

• Central Locomotive Workshop (CLW) at Parbatipur, Dinajpur.
• Diesel Workshop at Pahartali, Chittagong.