India, Slovakia: Privately owned Jupiter Wagons has signed a 10-year agreement to this effect with one of Europe’s largest freight wagon manufacturers, Slovakia’s Tatravagonka. The deal also covers the supply of axles and assembled wheelsets. Notably, the two parties already operate together in India to develop the relevant production.
The volume of supplies has not been disclosed, but Tatravagonka is known to require 20,000 to 30,000 wheelsets a year. According to Jupiter Wagons managing director Vivek Lohia, the deal will generate revenue of around INR 10–15 bln ($100–150 mln) over the coming years. The first deliveries are scheduled for late 2027.
Production will be based at a new plant in the state of Odisha, which Jupiter Wagons and Tatravagonka are launching jointly. Around INR 30 bln (over $300 mln) has been invested in the facility, and from December 2027 its production capacity is to reach 100,000 wheelsets a year, of which roughly half is intended for export. Jupiter Wagons also acquired another plant of the same type in Aurangabad, Maharashtra state, in 2024, although its capacity is considerably smaller at 20,000 wheelsets a year.
The company works with numerous players: it holds contracts to supply almost 10,000 wheelsets to Indian wagon manufacturer Braithwaite & Co., while a further 5,300 wheelsets have been ordered for Vande Bharat EMUs. India is working at state level to reduce its dependence on imported railway wheels, which come in part from China.
Kazakhstan’s Prommashkomplekt (part of Railways Systems KZ) is also currently working towards entering the EU railway wheel market. Last year it signed a memorandum to this effect with German national operator Deutsche Bahn, and in February this year Railways Systems KZ reported that it had shipped the first batch of solid-rolled wheels and begun certification procedures. Europe’s own interest in alternative suppliers may be linked in part to the risks posed by the proximity of another wheel-market player’s facilities — those of Ukraine’s Interpipe — to the conflict zone.
