Indian Railways has tied up with an Indian company to reduce the import of rail wheels. Officials gave this information. Indian Railways is mainly dependent on China for its wheel needs. According to the Railways, it has been importing various types of wheels (forged wheels) required for locomotives and coaching stock (LHB) from Britain, Czech Republic, Brazil, Romania, Japan, China, Ukraine and Russia since the 1960s. The Railway Ministry said in a statement, “During the year 2024-25, wheels worth about Rs 900 crore were imported from China and Russia / Ukraine and 40,000 wheels were ordered from Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Currently, due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, most of the import requirement of wheels is being met from China.”

80,000 wheels will be supplied every year for 20 years

It said, “The requirement of wheels is estimated to increase to two lakh by 2026 due to the induction of more and high-speed trains.” According to the ministry, the current domestic production capacity for 2024-25 is only 75,000 wheels. Therefore, it has planned to enhance it by collaborating with a group of an Indian company - Ramkrishna Forgings Ltd (RKFL) and Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TWL). This can supply 80,000 wheels per year for the next 20 years. According to the statement, “The request of the lead member of the group, Ramkrishna, for execution of the contract through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) has been agreed in principle through a letter of RB (Railway Board) dated December 9, 2024, subject to a certain condition regarding majority shareholders in the SPV belonging to the lead member (Ramkrishna). Response from Ramkrishna is awaited.”

Plant being built in Tamil Nadu

The statement said, "According to the information, the company has acquired 72.75 acres of land in Tamil Nadu for setting up the wheel project and the construction work for the project is in the final stage. Civil work including shed construction is in progress." The ministry said that as per the information received from the vendor, all the machines have been ordered and their supply is expected to start in March 2025. "According to the information, the construction of the plant is expected to be completed by March 2026. On the request of Ramakrishna, the Railway Board has issued a letter for the issuance of 20 wheels on payment basis for sample purposes."