Advocating ‘zero accident mission’, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu asked other countries to make India their base for manufacturing as the government will be investing USD 120 billion over the next five years to develop the railway services. This would require the railways to adopt an integrated approach involving use of cost-effective advanced technology and trained manpower.
Targeting investment from abroad, he appealed to foreign companies and their representatives participating in the convention to come to India, collaborate and manufacture, highlighting that India has the advantage of skilled manpower, big market and a large manufacturing base.
With the Indian Railways adopting modern signalling and telecommunications solutions like centralized operation of signalling system, electronic interlocking, LED signals and block proving by axle counters, signalling and telecommunications professionals, industry representatives and companies like Efftronics, RTVision, Railel, Huawei, TechnoSatComm, Siemens, Thales, Hitachi, Frauscher, EMC and other participated in the convention.
Background:
Addressing the concluding session of the two-day International Railway Convention on ‘Advances in Command, Control and Communication Systems for Main Line, Metro and High Speed Transit Systems’, Mr. Prabhu said that the main thrust of any transport organisation should be on safe and secure transportation with zero scope for accidents. The convention was organized by Institution of Railway Signal and Telecommunication Engineers (IRSTE) and Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) in association with the railways.
Significance:
- New advances in command, control and communication systems can play a very vital role in evolving safe and secure operation environment on Indian Railways where there should be no scope for accidents even in case of human errors.
- Furthermore, this will certainly boost the Make in India campaign too.