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Railway research gets fastracked

Ministry of Railways is set to tie up with various universities and Indian Institute of Technology to create a Centre for Railway Research.

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Devendra Fadnavis and Suresh Prabhu at Sahyadri guest house in Malabar Hill on Saturday
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Ministry of Railways is set to tie up with various universities and Indian Institute of Technology to create a Centre for Railway Research. As part of the proposal, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with University of Mumbai on Saturday.

"This is a first of its kind tie-up. And an agreement will be signed with more universities and IITs for a specific purpose," said Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railway.

The aim is to make these educational arenas a centre for excellence. This Centre for Railway Research with University of Mumbai will help railways to further study heavy haul technology, vehicle dynamics, high speed technologies, track research and energy efficient traction power supply systems among other things.

Another MoU was signed between Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Dighi Port, a private sector firm in Raigad district for laying a 33.7-km long rail line. A special purpose vehicle with 26% ownership with RVNL, 11% with Maharashtra Maritime Board and balance with Dighi Port will be created connecting the port with the nearest railhead at Roha on Konkan Railway.

Planned to be ready in the next two years, with an investment of around Rs800 crore, there will be 11 bridges and five tunnels along the 33.7-km line.

Prabhu even shared that Ministry of Railway will be entering into an agreement with Maharashtra government, a state specific pact, to reach further into the hinterland.

"In the next few days, we will create a company with the state government which will develop rail lines in different parts of the state. This agreement will be limited to Maharashtra," said Prabhu. These tracks are likely to be laid in Gadchiroli district, between Kolhapur and Vaibhavwadi in Konkan, between Karad-Chiplun, etc.

Mumbai's first air-conditioned local is likely to be there in Mumbai by September. "It should be here before the October heat of Mumbai," said Prabhu on Saturday.

There is a possibility of Central Railway getting nod from Commissioner for Railway Safety for conversion of Direct Current to Alternating Current of its suburban railway network.

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