NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): A Chinese company has reportedly got a contract worth Rs 170 crore for supplying 39,000 Vande Bharat train wheels because wheel deliveries from other countries especially Ukraine got affected due to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The order for solid forged wheels (rough turned) was given to Taizhong, Hong Kong International Ltd. ET reported. “These wheels are for the Vande Bharat trains. This development can be seen as a fall out of the Russia-Ukraine crisis as there is a dearth of rail wheel suppliers to India,”a senior rail ministry official said.
Any bidders from the countries that share a land border with India will be eligible to bid in any procurement whether of goods, services (including consultancy services and non-consultancy services) or works only if the bidder is registered with the competent authority, according to the government order. A registration committee was subsequently formed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Political and security approvals from the ministries of external and home affairs were also made compulsory.
The tender for wheels was opened on April 4 and the railway ministry awarded it to Taizhong on May 2. According to the railway board’s order of awarding the tender, the manufacturing place of these wheels is Taiyuan Heavy Industry Railway Transit Equipment Company at Dianzi Steet in Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China. This is a part of Taiyuan Heavy Industry Co, Ltd (TYHI), the board’s order stated.
Now the railways have already started working on local manufacturing of wheels. “There is a need to develop the wheel manufacturing ecosystem in the country and domestic manufacturers seek longer-term visibility before investing in setting up facilities,” the officer said.
