Cabinet approves MoU on technical cooperation in rail sector

New Delhi [India], Apr. 5 (ANI): The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane S.P.A. of the Republic of Italy on January 31, on technical cooperation in railway sector. The MoU will provide a platform to Indian Railways to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector to promote safety, efficiency and sustainability. The MoU will also facilitate exchange of information, experts meetings, seminars, technical visits and implementation of jointly agreed cooperation, projects. The objective of this MoU is to develop technical cooperation activities in the railway sector to promote safety, efficiency and sustainability, to their mutual benefit. It will enable technical cooperation in the following areas:- A.Safety audit of Indian Railways and measures required for enhancing safety in train operation; B.Assessment and certification of advanced technology based safety products and systems to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL4); C.Training and competency development with focus on safety including in areas of advanced signaling and train control systems; D.Modern trends in Maintenance and diagnostic; E.Any other area jointly identified by the participants. The Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) is an industrial holding managing the Italian Railways sector through its companies focused on railway related businesses, the main ones are: Trenitalia - rail transport Rete Ferroviaria Italiana - railway infrastructure manager, Italferr - engineering company, Italcerifer - notified body certifying railway systems and components. The FS group is fully owned by Government and is under Ministry of Treasury, Italy. Ministry of Railways have signed MQUs for technical cooperation with the Rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways. The identified areas of cooperation include high speed corridors, 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 on developments in areas of railways, technology and operations, knowledge sharing, technical visits, training and seminars and workshops in areas of mutual interest. The MoUs provide a platform for Indian Railways to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector. The MoUs facilitate exchange of technical experts, reports and technical documents, training and seminars/workshops focusing on specific technology areas and other interactions for knowledge sharing. (ANI)