Sixty to seventy years after being an importer of forged wheels used in the railways, India is all set to become an exporter of the train component, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The minister, who also holds the portfolio of Electronics and Information Technology, was to inaugurate the Chennai Design Centre of US-based semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, when he said that construction activities for setting up a plant to produce forged wheels for the railways has commenced in Tamil Nadu.

The railways has entered into a joint venture with Ramakrishna Forgings Ltd to set up the manufacturing facility at Gummidipoondi near Chennai, at an outlay of Rs 650 crore in the first phase.

"As you are aware, Vande Bharat trains have been very successful. The wheels that are used in Vande Bharat trains are of special quality. They undergo a special manufacturing process. The wheels that we use in the wagons undergo a casting process," he told reporters.

"The factory to produce the forged wheels is now being set up. Construction has started. The plant will have the capacity to produce 2.5 lakh wheels, of which 80,000 will be used in India and the remaining 1.70 lakh will be exported," he said.