Hilton Develops India-Made Forged Railway Wheelsets
ECONOMY & POLICY

Hilton Develops India-Made Forged Railway Wheelsets

Hilton Metal Forging Ltd has successfully developed and manufactured indigenous Railway Forged Wagon Wheelsets, which have been inspected and approved by RITES, the Indian government’s quality assurance agency. Each wheelset includes two forged wheels and one forged axle, with every rail coach or wagon requiring four such wheelsets.

The company aims to meet the growing demand from Indian railway wagon manufacturers and reduce reliance on Chinese imports. Under the “Make in India” initiative, Hilton plans to manufacture over 3,000 wheelsets in FY26 and scale up to more than 12,000 units in FY27. The targeted installed capacity is set at 20,000 wheelsets annually.

India’s railway freight sector is undergoing rapid expansion, with the government aiming to increase the modal share of freight transport via railways from 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030. With 98 per cent of the rail network already electrified and the implementation of Mission Raftaar, the focus remains on enhancing the speed and efficiency of both freight and passenger trains across the country.

In FY25, Indian factories manufactured 41,929 freight wagons, 1,681 locomotives (up 19 per cent from FY24), and 7,134 passenger coaches. Around 90,000 units—including freight wagons, coaches, and locomotives—undergo periodic maintenance annually at 44 railway workshops. This generates a steady annual demand of approximately 170,000 new wheelsets and 250,000 new wheels.

Hilton’s forged wheelsets are expected to contribute significantly to meeting this demand, aligning with national priorities for self-reliance and localisation in high-performance railway components.

Hilton Metal Forging Ltd has successfully developed and manufactured indigenous Railway Forged Wagon Wheelsets, which have been inspected and approved by RITES, the Indian government’s quality assurance agency. Each wheelset includes two forged wheels and one forged axle, with every rail coach or wagon requiring four such wheelsets.The company aims to meet the growing demand from Indian railway wagon manufacturers and reduce reliance on Chinese imports. Under the “Make in India” initiative, Hilton plans to manufacture over 3,000 wheelsets in FY26 and scale up to more than 12,000 units in FY27. The targeted installed capacity is set at 20,000 wheelsets annually.India’s railway freight sector is undergoing rapid expansion, with the government aiming to increase the modal share of freight transport via railways from 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030. With 98 per cent of the rail network already electrified and the implementation of Mission Raftaar, the focus remains on enhancing the speed and efficiency of both freight and passenger trains across the country.In FY25, Indian factories manufactured 41,929 freight wagons, 1,681 locomotives (up 19 per cent from FY24), and 7,134 passenger coaches. Around 90,000 units—including freight wagons, coaches, and locomotives—undergo periodic maintenance annually at 44 railway workshops. This generates a steady annual demand of approximately 170,000 new wheelsets and 250,000 new wheels.Hilton’s forged wheelsets are expected to contribute significantly to meeting this demand, aligning with national priorities for self-reliance and localisation in high-performance railway components.

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement