Indian Railways has drawn up plans to become an exporter of wheels and issued a tender on Friday to build a factory that will produce at least 80,000 wheels each year, Labor Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. At a press conference, Vaishnaw said the forged wheels needed for high-speed trains and LHB coaches are now being produced at the Make in India factory and the annual Rs 600 crore will secure procurement of 80,000 wheels.
He said it was the first time railways had put out a tender to build a wheel factory in India and invite private contractors to manufacture wheels for high-speed trains. Indian railways require 200,000 wheels per year. According to the plan, Steel Authority of India Limited’s Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited will supply some of the wheels, while the rest will come from the new ‘Make in India’ factory.
