Work on Rs 2,000cr railway coach wheelset plant begins in Khurda dist

Bhubaneswar: Construction of a railway wheelset manufacturing plant has started on 86 acres of land at Haldiapada in Khurda district. The facility, which will be built at an investment of more than Rs 2,000 crore, will be commissioned by 2027.

The plant will produce 1 lakh wheelsets, 2 lakh forged discs, and 1 lakh axles annually, exporting 50% of its production to Europe and America after meeting the requirement of Indian Railways, officials said. The plant is being set up by Jupiter Tatravagonka Railwheel Factory (JTRF), a subsidiary of Jupiter Wagons Limited.

Industries secretary Hemant Sharma on Wednesday said the state govt has already provided land, and the ground-breaking ceremony was conducted last month in the presence of chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi. "Work has started on the plant. Two more vendors have come in after JTRF started construction work," he added.

Official sources said it will be a fully automated, green wheelset plant. It will create 3,600 direct and indirect jobs. JTRF will bring world-class rail component manufacturing capabilities to India, with Odisha as its base of operations, they added.

Sudip Haldar, chief technology officer, Jupiter Wagons Limited, said the journey began a few months ago when they first engaged with the Invest Odisha team. "With a capacity of 1 lakh wheelsets per annum and over 50% export potential, the project will significantly reduce India's dependency on imports, create high-skilled and indirect employment, and unlock a new era of industrial growth in eastern India," he added.

The Haldiapada plant will be a zero-discharge facility powered by rooftop solar energy, utilising clean fuels like LNG and CNG, and equipped with closed-loop water recycling systems. It combines Industry 4.0 technologies with environmental sustainability, setting new standards for future-ready industrial development in India, official sources said.

CM Majhi said the state is moving beyond its traditional strengths in minerals and raw materials to become a hub for precision manufacturing and global supply chains. "The establishment of a modern railway wheelset facility is a strong indicator of the transformation," he added.

The development aligns with India's projected railway freight growth — from 1,500 million tonnes today to over 3,000 million tonnes by 2030.