A consortium between Ramkrishna Forgings Ltd (RKFL) and Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL), has been awarded the contract to manufacture and supply 15,40,000 forged wheels over a span of 20 years by the Ministry of Railways. The contract will see the consortium delivering 40,000 forged wheels during the first year, 60,000 wheels in the second year and 80,000 wheels every subsequent year thereafter, with the total contract valued at around ₹12,227 crore.

An initiative to reduce India’s reliance on importing wheels from foreign countries, the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative has facilitated manufacturing opportunities for Indian firms to build and supply quality forged wheels to the Indian Railways.

Domestic production

The Indian Railways eventually aims to achieve 100 per cent localisation of wheel production through private Indian entities and cater to future growth in demand entirely through domestic production.

The wheels manufactured under this agreement will cater to the requirements of multiple platforms, such as the LHB coaches, WAG9 Locomotives and Vande Bharat Express Trains among others said a press statement issued by Ramkrishna Forgings.

Annual target

The RKFL-TRSL consortium will be establishing a manufacturing facility to manufacture these forged wheels, with total annual production targeted at 2,00,000 wheels when fully operational. Not only will this facility address the demands of the domestic railway sector, but also help the consortium address the latent demand from the private sector as well as export markets.

The successful execution of this project will require a capital expenditure ranging from ₹1,000 – ₹1,200 crore. Both companies will contribute equity on an equal basis, ensuring a robust funding structure to support the project’s capital expenditure needs, the release said.