Chittaranjan Locomotive Works

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, usually shortened to CLW, is a state-owned manufacturer of electric locomotives in India. Its main works stand at Chittaranjan in the Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Bengal, with an ancillary unit at Dankuni, and it keeps stores and offices in Kolkata and inspection cells in several other Indian cities. The project began as the Loco Building Works in 1950, planned to turn out 120 average-sized steam locomotives and 50 spare boilers, and steam production started on 26 January 1950. On 1 November 1950 the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, dedicated the first steam locomotive to the nation, and the works were renamed after the freedom fighter Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das. The site was chosen after a survey begun in 1948, because rocky soil suited foundations and the rolling terrain eased drainage for the township. CLW now describes itself as the largest locomotive manufacturing unit in the world, reporting 700 locomotives built in fiscal year 2024-25.