When the Government of India approved the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project and set up the DFCCIL to build it.

Hence, it was decided to procure new, powerful locomotives for dedicated operations on the two DFCs in an manner unlike it was done until now, where locos were built at CLW by Indian Railways under technology transfer agreements.

[5] This invitation received bids from General Electric, Alstom, Bombardier Transportation, Siemens Mobility, China CNR and CSR Corporation.

[3] The Research Design and Standards Organisation published a specification in June 2013,[6] detailing the capability requirements for an eight-axle locomotive intended to be used on Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC).

The largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project of Indian Railways, the first locomotive was initially expected to enter service on 28 February 2018.

[13] As development of the engines progressed, Alstom outsourced the task of producing traction transformers for the locomotives to Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation ABB in 2016.

[17] They are three phase, twin-section electric freight locomotive consisting of two identical sections, each of which rests on two twin-axled Bo-Bo bogies.

Since all the equipment caused the WAG-12 to be around 38 metres long, the solution as to add a vestibule at the middle, making it a twin section locomotive.

[22] The eight-axle design of the locomotive reportedly improves performance and minimises energy consumption and maintenance costs.

The locomotive incorporates special features based on the Alstom Prima T8 for operations in humid or dusty environments and extreme temperatures ranging from −50 °C (−58 °F) to 50 °C (122 °F).

The locomotives can also be equipped with climate control systems such as air conditioners, food preparation and storage facilities, and even a toilet—a standard that Indian Railways introduced in 2016.