In Moscow, the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov has met with D. B. Venkatesh Varma, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation.

Under discussion at the meeting were the prospects for joint projects to modernise and develop rail infrastructure and rail management systems, introduce digital technologies, and train specialists in the field of rail transport, as well as to increase trade between the two countries.

“India is developing rapidly, and we know its demand for a new look with regard to its rail system – for a new quality of service, for high speeds and modern technology. The railways of both countries have the necessary technologies that can complement each other harmoniously. The Russian Railways’ Holding is a global leader in safety, ecology and energy efficiency, and we are ready to expand cooperation with our colleagues from Indian Railways,” said Oleg Belozerov.

In 2019, trade between Russia and India exceeded $11 billion, with the main driver of growth coming from oil and coal. In particular, coal supplies in the past year increased by almost 78% to 8 million tons.

Oleg Belozerov noted that the international profile of the Russian Railways’ Holding includes projects on freight transport and logistics services. The Company is now managing the rail infrastructure in Armenia and Mongolia, modernising the infrastructure in Serbia, and increasing the number of transit routes on the Russian railway network.

Cooperation with India’s railways is developing in the areas of infrastructure modernisation and training. In December 2019, Indian Railways adopted a feasibility study prepared by Russian Railways for a project to increase the speed of trains to 200 kph on the Nagpur – Secunderabad line. Last year, more than 180 employees from Indian Railways were also trained on special educational programmes in Russia.

(Source: RZD)