State-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Tuesday said it has shipped the first consignment of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) wheels to Indian Railways.
The Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) of SAIL supplied the first consignment of LHB wheels to the national transporter on Monday, SAIL said in a statement.
"SAIL was initially given an order to supply 1,000 LHB wheels whose first consignment has been dispatched. The wheels having unique web profile with metallurgical properties are especially designed to befit the high-speed movement on broad gauge as per the requirements of LHB coaches," it said.
These LHB wheels are developed with the help of the Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO), under the railways, and wheel and axle plant of DSP.
The wheels have pneumatic disc brake system for efficient braking at higher speeds, reducing the impact during accidents or emergency situations, SAIL said.
"Our entire focus is to begin the supply of this advanced LHB wheels so that the requirement of the Indian Railways can be fulfilled domestically. I believe that meeting the entire requirements of LHB wheels domestically will reduce the imports and also help in saving foreign exchange," SAIL Chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary said.
SAIL-DSP is supplying wheels and axles to the Indian Railways for the past five decades and is the only producer of forged wheels in the country.