LUCKNOW: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with Research Design and Standardization Organization (RDSO), hosted a conference on ‘Innovative Technologies for Railways’ in Lucknow on Friday, bringing together government officials, industrialists and researchers to discuss advances that will shape the future of Indian railways. The meeting’s guest of honor, RDSO Secretary General Udit Bolwanker, emphasized the organization’s role in promoting railway modernization since 1957. He pointed out that there was a vision for the track’s potential speed to rise from 75 km/h to 160 km/h and reach 200 km/h, while the capacity of the passenger cars expanded to nearly 2,000 people per rake. Cargo carrying capacity has also increased from 150 to 250 tons per axle. Mr Bhowankar highlighted the role of the indigenous Kabak system in improving safety and announced plans to integrate AI, predictive maintenance and sustainable technologies through collaboration with IIT.
Abhishek Saraf, Chairman of the Conference and MD of Avadh Railway Infrastructure Ltd., outlined the key initiatives of the Union Railway Budget for 2025-26, including manufacturing of 200 Vande Bharat trains, 100 Amrit Bharat trains and 50 Namo Bharat high-speed rail units, besides safety investments of Rs 1.16 billion and PPP-led development of Rs 2.64 billion. Sushil Kumar, MD, UPMRC, elaborated on UP’s metro expansion plan of 1,500 km, including 200 km in Lucknow and 550 km in Kanpur and Agra, which supports UP’s $1 trillion economic vision. Industrialists predict that with smart operations and Industry 4.0 technology, Indian Railways will carry 12 trillion passengers and 8.2 billion tonnes of cargo annually by 2030.
