Tender floated for new plant to make 80,000 train wheels

The Indian Railways has issued a tender to build 80,000 wheels for high-speed trains such as the Vande Bharat each year. For the first time, the railways attempted to transition from an importer to an exporter by issuing a tender to manufacture wheels under the 'Make in India' initiative. At a cost of Rs 6 billion, the plant is expected to produce at least 80,000 wheels. India has previously imported wheels from Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. Due to supply disruptions caused by the Ukraine war, this reliance on imports threatened to halt the production of Vande Bharat trains. With this plant, India will not only manufacture but also export wheels to Europe. India currently imports approximately 70,000 wheels per year at a cost of around Rs. 70,000 per wheel. Also read: Indore, Mhow coach depots get GreenCo silver certification Chakan Industries to shift to railways owing to rising fuel costs