Indian Railways in 'twinning' pact with Welsh rail

Thursday, 04 October 2007, 19:30 IST
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Llandudno: Indian Railways, the world's second largest under a single management, has entered into a pact with Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways, one of the world's smallest, to cooperate in a wide range of areas. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the first railroad to be granted World Heritage status, was modelled on Ffestiniog Railway and first opened in 1882. "The two railways will soon be discussing technology transfer of turning coal-fired engines into oil-fired," said Welsh Railway company manager Samantha Hughes at a Showcase Wales tourism event. "The 'twinning' agreement will help in exchange of ideas on crossings, signal technology and even guard operations," Hughes told IANS, referring to the pact that allows exchange of ideas, knowledge and technology, among other issues. The two railroad networks hope the pact, which is similar to a sister-city concept, will help the two sides to preserve the respective heritage of their railways. They also want to take the 'twinning' pact beyond its traditional meaning - of basic bonding between two cities, civic bodies and governments. Last year, Ffestinog Railway was assigned by a British client to build two replicas of the Darjeeling-Himalayan carriages. "We ran them for a few weeks on our engines and they were real popular with enthusiasts," said Hughes. Ffestiniog Railway, that runs a 25-mile network along with Welsh Highland Railway, celebrates its 175th anniversary this year, while the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is in its 125th year in 2007. Ffestiniog Railway has "twinned" with HSB in Germany and a railway company in South Africa.
Source: IANS