Indian rail engineering consultancy RITES and the UAE’s national railway company Etihad Rail have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore co-operation in developing the rail network and related infrastructure services in the UAE and the wider region.
The partnership aims at leveraging strengths of both the entities to explore collaborative opportunities for supply or leasing of rolling stock, consultancy and project management for railway projects, services such repairing of rolling stock and operation and maintenance of railway infrastructure to ensure more efficient and modernised rail services in the UAE and the region, a statement from the Indian company said.
Both companies will also analyse the capacity of rail corridors in the UAE and nearby geographies with an aim to improve efficiency, streamline logistics and enhance trade routes, the statement added. Additionally, they will explore advanced IT solutions for train operations and passenger management, and technical inputs on maintenance practices and promote knowledge transfer, expertise sharing and workforce development.
This partnership assumes significance as India is keen on pursuing its idea of the India Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) that aims to connect India to Europe via the Middle East through port, rail and road corridors.
The state-owned engineering consultancy company had signed a MOU with AD Ports in February this year to explore mutual opportunities for port development, multimodal logistic parks, economic and free trade zones, rail connectivity projects, and related infrastructure services.