The Indian Railways were compelled to float a global tender after a disruption at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) wheel manufacturing plant in Raebareli, which was won by a Chinese company, according to officials.

According to them, the forged wheel mill in Raebareli has a capacity of 100,000 wheels per year, which is solely for railway needs.

“While commercial operations of the plant began in September 2021, the RINL plant is currently not operating due to operational difficulties. On condition of anonymity, a senior government source told ET that regular wheel shipments from the mill will take some time to begin.

The Indian Railways imports around 60,000 forged wheels each year to meet rolling stock requirements, primarily for Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches. These coaches are seen to be more secure and comfy than others.

“Forged wheel supply have been arriving from Ukraine and Russia for the previous two years. The supply chain was damaged due to the Russia-Ukraine situation, the person said, adding that the railroads ministry was counting on RINL’s Raebareli factory to lessen reliance on imports.