INDIA’s Ministry of Railways has signed cooperation agreements with Spain and Switzerland to support its programme of network modernisation.
The five-year agreement signed with Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility promotes collaboration in planning, deployment, operation and maintenance of high-speed and conventional railways as well as optimising infrastructure and promoting intermodality for both passenger and freight traffic.
The agreement was signed in Vadodara during a visit to India by Spanish prime minister Mr Pedro Sánchez, when he was accompanied by minister for transport and sustainable mobility, Mr Óscar Puente.
Other areas of potential collaboration include rolling stock maintenance, onboard and wayside deployment of ERTMS, and training to support maintenance, operations and traffic management activities. The MoU is expected to result in the exchange of best practice and development of pilot projects, exchange of technical advice and assistance, shared researched and technical development, organisation of joint conferences, meetings and seminars, and shared training and expert exchange programmes.
Swiss agreement
Separately, Switzerland’s transport minister, Mr Albert Rösti, and India’s railways minister, Mr Ashwini Vaishnaw, signed a letter of intent during an online meeting held on October 29 to deepen the exchange of information between the railway sectors of both countries.
Switzerland’s federal council says that as India pursue ambitious plans for network expansion and modernisation, it is especially interested in innovative technologies, modern rolling stock and experience of construction and electrification of railway infrastructure. It adds that it is in the interest of both countries to promote the exchange of information and technical cooperation.
The MoU builds on a temporary letter of intent signed in 2017 under which a Swiss-Indian working group was formed to exchange expertise, identify potential projects and discuss existing challenges.
