Cooperation with China in rail sector is expected during Jinping's visit

New Delhi: Cooperation with China in rail sector is expected to figure in talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid the new government’s thrust on building a network of high speed trains.

There is a possibility of signing of an agreement between the two giant railways during Xi’s visit for Chinese investments in Indian railways for its electrification, improvement of tracks to allow high-speed trains and upgrading of stations, railways sources said.

India wants Chinese investments and expertise to upgrade the existing tracks to increase the speed of the trains up to about 160 km.

There are also possibilities of setting up two logistic parks along the track - one near Pune and another near Ahmedabad.

India and China had signed an MoU on technical cooperation in railway Sector on November 26, 2012 for five years.

Under the existing MoU, both the countries are expected to enhance mutual cooperation across various areas of rail technology including high speed rail, heavy haulage and station development.

The two sides, as per the MoU, will undertake exchange of information on policies, training and exchange programmes, site visits and joint symposiums.

The MoU envisages that both sides will work out future cooperation on railways under the Infrastructure Working Group constituted under the India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue.

Before that a MoU was signed between the two railways for cooperation in rail sector on January 18, 2008 in Beijing during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China. The MoU signed in 2008 was valid for three years.

Railways has undertaken an exercise for technological upgradation, capacity enhancement and development of world class services.

Chinese railways carry the highest level of freight traffic in the world and also a very high level of passenger traffic. It has undertaken considerable traction, speed raising, modernisation and technolgy upgradation during the last few years.

PTI