The Titagarh-Ramkrishna Forgings consortium, which won the contract to make forged wheels for Indian Railways, announced it will roll out the first wheel by May 2026. The consortium said the construction of the wheel manufacturing plant is on schedule. This new plant aims to meet the growing demand for train wheels in India. Indian Railways estimates the need for wheels will reach 200,000 per year by 2026.
Prithish Chowdhary, Deputy Managing Director of Titagarh Rail Systems Limited, said the new plant will help fill the gap between the demand and supply of wheels in India. Currently, Indian Railways imports wheels from countries like China, Russia, Brazil, and some European countries.
Supply chain disruptions last year impacted the production of Vande Bharat Express trains. In 2022-23, India imported around 80,000 wheels worth Rs 520 crore from China and Russia, while the rest were sourced from SAIL. With more Vande Bharat and semi-high-speed trains coming, the demand for forged wheels will increase, making domestic production essential.
The project has a total capital expenditure of Rs 1,800–2,000 crore, funded through debt and equity. The new facility will have an annual production capacity of 220,000 wheels, meeting the needs of both the Railway sector and the private market. This will reduce dependence on imports and boost India’s export capabilities.
Last year, the consortium was awarded a Rs 12,226 crore contract to supply forged wheels under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative by the Ministry of Railways. Over 20 years, it will supply about 1.5 million wheels.
“Our initiative is an important step towards localizing wheel production and aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India self-reliant. This project also supports India’s industrial strategy to increase manufacturing output and make India a global manufacturing hub,” Chowdhary added.
