Indian Railways renewed its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Switzerland’s Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications with an objective to strengthen technical cooperation between the two countries. The agreement was formalized with a video conference and got all statutory clearances from Indian Ministries of Railways and External Affairs.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this re-signed MoU forms a healthy framework of cooperation, an area in which it can be on technology sharing, track management, construction, and others. It falls in line with the commitment of modernizing the rail transport sectors by the Indian government.
Federal Councillor Albert Roesti, who heads the Federal DETEC said that Switzerland’s cutting-edge railway technologies would help bring operational efficiency, safety standard, service quality, and infrastructure development for Indian Railways. The initial MoU signed on 31st August 2017 remained valid for five years in key areas of cooperation relating to traction rolling stock, Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), freight and passenger cars.
The renewed partnership aims at making the railway services of India more reliable and efficient, which would benefit passenger as well as freight services. Some of the top Swiss companies will be supplying machinery, materials, and tunneling consultancy services for enhancing the rail infrastructure, which is essential.
This strategic partnership represents both countries’ efforts toward creating a collaborative relationship that is based on mutual progress and improvement in terms of technology and infrastructure. This cooperation serves to align with the overall vision of India’s transportation modernization, hence supporting the growth of the country’s economy and bettering the general travel experience for its people.
This means the Indian Railways are fully expecting the integration of Swiss technology to meet the burgeoning demands of the railway sector, thus making rail travel safer and more efficient in millions of passengers across the country.
