Hilton Metal Forging Ltd, a manufacturer of industrial components, has successfully manufactured a forged railway wagon wheelset, which has been inspected and approved by RITES. A single railway forged wagon wheelset includes two forged wheels and one forged axle, with each coach or wagon requiring four wheelsets.
The company plans to manufacture over 3,000 railway forged wagon wheelsets in the financial year 2026 and aims to increase production to over 12,000 wheelsets in FY27. Hilton Metal Forging is targeting an installed production capacity of 20,000 wheelsets per year. The company intends to supply railway wagon manufacturers in India to address the domestic shortfall of wheelsets and reduce imports from China.
The Government of India has set a target to increase the share of freight transport via rail from 27 percent to 45 percent by 2030. Indian Railways has electrified 98 percent of its network and is working to enhance the speed of both freight and passenger trains under Mission Raftaar.
In FY25, railway production in India included 41,929 freight wagons, up from 37,650 in FY24. Locomotive production increased by 19 percent to 1,681 units in FY25 compared to 1,472 units in FY24. Additionally, 7,134 railway passenger coaches of various types were manufactured in FY25, up from 6,541 in FY24.
Each year, around 90,000 freight wagons, passenger coaches, and locomotives undergo periodic maintenance across approximately 44 railway workshops in India. The annual demand for new railway wagon wheelsets is around 170,000 units, while the demand for new wheels is approximately 250,000 units.
Hilton Metal Forging Ltd manufactures forged and machined components primarily for sectors including oil and gas, power, and heavy engineering. The company is expanding its presence in the railway segment through the production of forged railway wheelsets.
