MoUs with Japan and Russia in the various fields of Railways

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was today apprised of the following Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs):- (i) The MoC signed between Ministry of Railways (MoR) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan on technological cooperation in Rail Sector on 11th December 2015. (ii) The MoU signed between Ministry of Railways and Joint Stock Company “Russian Railways” on technical cooperation in railway sector on 24th December 2015. (iii) The MoU signed between Research Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) and Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI), Japan on technological cooperation in railway sector on 11th December 2015. Background:- Ministry of Railways have signed MoC/MoUs for technical cooperation in the rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways. The identified areas of cooperation include high speed corridors, speed raising of existingroutes, 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 technologyoperations, knowledge sharing, technical visits, training & 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. (i) The Memorandum of Cooperation between MoR and MLIT of Japan will enable technical cooperation in the following areas:- (a) Railway Safety; (b) Rolling stock including train sets/EMU; (c) Information sharing for station development and land value capture; (d) Information sharing for environment friendly Sanitation technology in trams; (e) Signaling and telecommunication; (f) Railway Electrification; (g) Civil structure and railway track system; (h) Train control system; (i) Mitigation of natural disasters; and (j) Any other areas jointly determined by both Sides. This MoC is valid for a period of three years. Thereafter it will be automatically renewed for further period of two years. (ii) The MoU signed between Ministry of Railways and Russian Railways provides for technical cooperation in the following areas: a) High Speed Rail (HSR) in India; b) Modernization of existing lines of the Indian railways in order to raise train speeds up to 160-200 kmph; c) Modern Control and safety related Systems based on satellite navigation and digital communication means, d) Satellite and geo- information technologies; e) Transportation safety and cyber security; f) Rolling stock; g) Heavy haul transportation; h) Organization of Human Resources training for the Indian Railways: secondary and higher vocational education of students and advanced training of staff members including managers; i) Station redevelopment j) Dedicated freight rail corridors; k) Modernization, reconstruction and construction of track superstructure,civil engineering works, including bridges and tunnels; and l) Slab tracks. This MoU is valid for a period of three years. Thereafter, it will be automatically renewed for further successive period of two years. (iii) The MoU signed between RDSO, India and RTRI, Japan provides for technical cooperation in the following areas:- (a) Safety in train operation; (b) Advanced techniques of maintenance; (c) Use of environment friendly technologies; (d) Throughput enhancement measures; and (e) Any other area jointly agreed upon by the Parties. This MoU is valid for a period of three years and it may be renewed for further period of one year at a time with mutual written agreement.