Has the wheel come full circle? Or, there still are wheels within wheels?

Wheels are in news again! They were so last year when the first lot of wheels for Train 18/Vande Bharat express, which had been ordered on a company in Ukraine, was stuck in the war zone.

 

I have reproduced two of the recent news items and two blogs I wrote, in the end. I will draw upon them to write a brief here and those interested in more details can go through them too.

 

Although use of forged wheels in high speed passenger trains is the norm the world over, its superiority over cast wheels is not so straightforward from engineering standpoint; it is also a matter of legacy of development of railroad wheels by countries and companies. Regrettably, Indian Railways (IR) mechanical engineers lack the courage to experiment with cast wheels in spite of their stellar performance on freight stocks and therefore, let us avoid this academic discussion; the decision to use forged wheels in passenger trains is firmly set in stone.

 

Forged wheels for passenger coaches and locomotives have consistently been imported for over 50 years. This is primarily due to the limitations of the sole Indian manufacturer, DSP (SAIL), which not only falls short in meeting IR’s demand but also lacks the capability to design and supply wheels in smaller quantities.

 

Wheels, whether imported or not, have rarely made headlines. However, an exceptive spotlight shone on them last year when the wheels for the Train 18/Vande Bharat Express, being manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, were ordered from a Ukrainian company, and the initial batch found itself trapped in a conflict zone.

 

With the PM watching the progress of Vande Bharat project, which had been marred by extended delays caused by unscrupulous and corrupt railway officials, Indian Railways acted with unprecedented speed. They secured clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs and promptly placed an order with a Chinese company. This resolved the issue; importing wheels from China, in any case, was not a novel practice, and the need for express approval from the MEA only arose due to post-COVID import restrictions from neighbouring countries (read China).

 

With an embarrassing controversy surrounding the wheels, IR finally woke up from its slumber and tried to address the issues of a long-neglected project. In 2013, IR had entered into an agreement with Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) to establish a forged wheel plant in Rae Bareli with the capacity to manufacture one lakh wheels annually with a view to eliminating import of wheels. Although the plant was ready for quite some time, its commissioning and full-scale operation were nowhere in sight. The significant delays were primarily attributable to bureaucratic obstacles, compounded by the challenges posed by the pandemic. Nonetheless, the involved ministries, namely Railways and Steel, have persisted in a lacklustre approach, and the plant is still nowhere near operating at its designed capacity, despite a substantial investment of nearly 2,500 crores. What a paradox!

 

In the interim, IR also invited bids for establishing a forged wheel plant with a guaranteed offtake of 80,000 wheels. The tender was efficiently awarded at a competitive price to a consortium comprising M/s Ramakrishna Forge and Titagarh Wagons (now TRSL). This decision held promise on one front, as this consortium was poised to inject dynamism of the private sector, potentially reducing the need for wheel imports. They are also likely to install facilities capable of producing more wheels than the assured offtake, positioning them to not only meet increased requirements of IR and Metros/RRTSs in future but also explore export opportunities. At the same time, this development raises questions about the fate of the RINL project and the substantial government investment made in it.

 

Some answers are now emerging, albeit with warts of babudom written all over the script. According to reports in The Hindu BusinessLine, IR is a likely contender to acquire the land of the RINL plant. In addition, a proposal has been floated to outsource the operations, potentially to SAIL or even private entities, with the aim of reviving the financially troubled and debt-laden RINL through a phased disinvestment strategy. The newspaper also disclosed that IR has granted an in-principle approval for acquiring the land and outsourcing operations, though the valuation is yet to be determined, as revealed in an internal note from one of the ministries, which The Hindu BusinessLine has obtained access to.’

 

In my view, it is high time to dispense with pretence and be straightforward. The future of RINL plant appears grim unless placed under the management of a highly efficient operator, and even SAIL might find it challenging to compete with the new private entrant. Why not cut our losses and engage in negotiations with the latter to take over the plant? This move could enable the nation to make the most efficient use of capacities without having two plants working at cross purposes. However, while Duke Vincentio stated in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that 'virtue is bold and goodness never fearful', can we realistically expect our 'virtuous' political and bureaucratic beadledom not to remain entrenched in timidity and fearfulnes?  A tall order, indeed!

 

Despite continuous but inconsequential announcements regarding the Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for railway components including wheels, the story concerning wheels is essentially nearing its conclusion. It is noteworthy that the entity responsible for disbursing these incentives, the government itself, essentially controls the wheel market, directly or indirectly. Media outlets also seize the opportunity, publishing articles that contain half-truths, sensationalizing the issue with headlines like 'IR depends on Chinese wheels to keep its trains moving.’

 

Unlike what Edmund put it in the bard’s King Lear, ‘The wheel is not come full circle.’ At this juncture, we can only hope that there are no more wheels within wheels.

...

References:

 

The Hindu BusinessLIne

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/railways-likely-saviour-for-loss-making-rinl-asset-monetisation-process-set-in-motion/article67433961.ece

 

MoneyControl

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/india-railways-needs-chinese-wheels-to-run-its-trains-11561681.html

 

My blogs:

 

https://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2022/04/are-there-wheels-within-wheels-in-train.html

 

https://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2023/08/train-parts-for-indian-railways-and-pli.html