China to produce wheels for high-speed trains

Next year, the Chinese company Masteel will start mass production of wheels for high-speed trains. Currently, all wheels for such trains are imported to China.

Masteel is currently testing two types of wheels, for driving at speeds up to 250 km /h and up to 350 km /h. Both types have already passed more than 200 thousand. km and at a speed exceeding 300 km /h. All test runs are 600 thousand km. The company announced that the introduction of locally produced wheels will lead to significant price reductions not only for the Chinese market, but also for exports, which is part of Masteel's plans.

The company's problem is the shrinking Chinese market. During the first four months of this year, the company sold 32,400 tons of railway wheels, down 20 percent year on year. Masteel is the largest manufacturer of railway wheels in China and owns about half of the market. The company has been making wheels since 1964, and the decision to create factory wheels for the high-speed rail was agreed in 2008 with the then Ministry of Railways, now called China Railway Corporation.

For Masteel, wheel production has proven to be extremely profitable, the wheel segment manager said in a statement to China Daily, the average profit margin in this case is 30 percent. Testing of the first axle for high-speed trains, which Masteel also intends to produce, is expected to begin later this year. According to China Daily, construction of the first plant, which is expected to produce 40,000 axles for different types of trains annually, began in April.