The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved administrative arrangement on Cooperation in the field of Railways between the Ministry of Railways, India and the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission to strengthen future technical exchanges and cooperation.

Implementation Strategy and targets

The Administrative arrangement has been signed on 3^rd September, 2019.  This Administrative Arrangement will provide a framework of cooperation for focused approved in following key areas:-

1. Rail Reform and Regulations with particular emphasis on impact of EU legislative framework on safety, interoperability, economic governance and financial sustainability of Railways;
2. Railway Safety;
3. The benefits of standardisation as well as harmonized conformity assessment and procurement procedures for economic performance of Railways;
4. Signalling/control systems (including the European ERTMS system);
5. Intermodality and transport infrastructure networks;
6. Innovation and digitalisation;
7. Experience sharing in respect of international rail conventions and standardisation bodies;
8. Sustainable policies in railway including economic, social and environmental aspects.

Background

Ministry of Railways have signed MoU/MoCs for technical cooperation in the rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways in respect of identified areas of cooperation, which, inter alia, include high speed rail, speed raising of existing routes, development of world class stations, heavy haul operations and modernization of rail infrastructure etc.  The cooperation is achieved through exchange of information in respect of developments in railway technology and operations, knowledge sharing, technical visits, training & seminars and workshops in areas of mutual interest.

          The MoUs/MoCs provide a platform for signatories to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector and thereby facilitate exchange of technical experts, reports and technical documents, training and seminars/workshops focusing on specific technology areas and other interactions for knowledge sharing.

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VRRK/SC/SH