CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): In a major step for strengthening India’s self-reliance in railway products manufacturing, Titagarh Rail Systems Limited and Ramkrishna Forgings Limited (RKFL) are set to enter the production phase of their indigenous railway wheelset plant in August, 2026.
The manufacturing plant is situated at Gummudipoondi near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The plant is set to become the second largest forged wheel manufacturing plant in Asia with a capacity to produce 228,000 forged wheels every year.
Earlier, Titagarh and RKF consortium received a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the manufacturing and supplying of forged wheels for the Indian Railways. The total cost of the project is estimated at ₹2,000 Crore. The funding of this project has been taken up through a mix of equity and debt.
Asia’s 2nd largest plant
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Marking another big milestone achievement, the wheelset manufacturing plant will take the position of Asia’s second largest forged wheel plant. The plant is situated in a large area covering 72.5 acres with a built-up area of 6.5 lakh square feet.
Upon completion, the plant is projected to produce around 228,000 forged wheels every year. This will reduce India’s dependence on foreign imports for forged wheels and develop an ecosystem for global exports.
Focused on Technology, Quality and Self-Reliance
The plant is focused on building an integrated ecosystem for technology, quality and self-reliance. It will combine the process of forging, machining and testing via real-time monitoring using Germany-based 10,000 tonnes presses, advanced robotic handling and heat treatment lines. RKFL announced that they have signed a 20-year contract with Indian Railways to manufacture and supply 15.4 Lakh wheels.
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