Indian Railways and Swiss DETEC Renew MoU for Technical Cooperation

The Indian Railways has extended its Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications(DETEC) of Switzerland to boost technical collaboration between the two countries further. The conference was conducted via video call and cleared by both, the Ministries of External Affairs and Railways later.

Addressing the MoU signing ceremony, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said "it will provide a comprehensive framework for collaboration to the Indian Railways in various areas, including technology sharing, track maintenance, management and construction", according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Railways said.

"This MoU also aligns with the government's commitment to modernise the Indian Railways", Vaishnaw said.

Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal DETEC Albert Roesti said Switzerland's advanced railway technology will benefit the Indian Railways by improving operational efficiency, safety standards, service quality and railways infrastructure development.

The statement stipulated that the memorandum of understanding signed on August 31, 2017, was for five years, and its main fields of cooperation included traction rolling stock, Electric Multiple Units (EMU), train sets, freight and passenger cars, and tilting trains.

"This cooperation will increase the efficiency and reliability of rail services in India to benefit both passenger and freight services. Large Swiss companies will supply the machinery, materials, and consultancy for the tunneling", it said.