The Titagarh Rail Systems–Ramkrishna Forgings joint venture will begin commercial production of forged railway wheels at its ₹2,000-crore greenfield plant in Gummudipoondi near Chennai in August.
The Titagarh Rail Systems–Ramkrishna Forgings consortium is set to commence commercial production of forged railway wheels at its greenfield manufacturing facility in Gummudipoondi, near Chennai, in August, marking a significant milestone in India’s railway manufacturing sector.The project is expected to end Indian Railways’ dependence on imported forged wheels from countries such as Ukraine, Russia and China for nearly seven decades. India will now become an exporter of forged wheels with excess capacity from the plant sent to various countries, said sources.The plant has an annual production capacity of 2.28 lakh forged wheels. Of this, about 80,000 wheels will be supplied to Indian Railways, while the balance will be exported, sources in the know said.Cold commissioning of the forging line has been completed, and trial production has been underway since June, they add.Production ramp-up and long-term supply plansSupplies to Indian Railways are expected to begin with about 40,000 wheels in the first year of operations, with production ramping up to 80,000 wheels annually over the next three to four years. Under the long-term arrangement, the venture will supply around 15 lakh forged wheels to Indian Railways over the next 20 years.With this capacity, the Gummudipoondi facility will be the second-largest forged wheel manufacturing plant in Asia after China.The joint venture is majority-owned by Ramkrishna Forgings, which holds a 51 per cent stake, while Titagarh Rail Systems holds the remaining 49 per cent.The project involves an investment of around ₹2,000 crore, financed through a combination of debt and equity. As of March 31, 2026, the two partners had infused around ₹500 crore in equity into the joint venture.Tamil Nadu pitches for shipbuilding investmentSeparately, Titagarh Rail Systems Vice Chairman and Managing Director Umesh Chowdhary and Deputy Managing Director Prithish Chowdhary met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday.While the meeting was described as a courtesy call, sources said the company officials were briefed about the State’s shipbuilding developments and urged to set up one in Tamil Nadu.Over time, the company may explore Tamil Nadu as a possible location for a second shipyard after its other one in West Bengal, said sources.Published on July 22, 2026
