A MoU was signed between Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited and the Indian Railways in the presence of steel minister Mr Beni Prasad Verma and minister for railways Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal in New Delhi

The MoU was signed by Mr Keshav Chandra Member Mechanical of Railway Board and Mr AP Choudhary CMD of RINL. 

The Forged Wheel Factory will have a capacity of producing 100,000 wheels every year. The factory, the biggest such plant in India, will be completed within a schedule of 36 months at a cost of INR 1000 crores

Mr Verma said “This unit will be a specialized unit catering to the need for special grade wheels for high speed trains. Setting up of the factory will considerably increase the industrial activity in the region and generate employment opportunities for the youth of the state.”

Mr Bansal said that “The proposed partnership would provide the much needed impetus to investment in railway infrastructure. The proposed forged wheel factory would go a long way in meeting the future requirements of wheels for Indian Railways.”

Mr Choudhary said that this is the second collaborative effort of RINL with Indian Railways, the first being the Rail Axle Plant at New Jalpaiguri. He said “The input for the Forged Wheel Plant would come from Visakhapatnam from the state of the art Caster being set up. The caster designed to produce 500 diameter rounds, the biggest in the country, would adequately meet the requirement for the Forged Wheel Plant.”