France will partner India in a study for upgrading the speed on the Delhi-Chandigarh rail line to 200 km per hour and help in the re-development of Ambala and ludhiana railway stations.
France will also help in development of Smart Cities in India to be identified by the host Government. These were among the outcomes of PM Narendra Modi’s talks with President Francois Hollande here on Friday.
The two sides signed a Railway protocol which seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation. Under the protocol, Indian Railways and French National Railways (SNCF) will co-finance an execution study by SNCF for a semi-high speed project on upgradation of the Delhi- Chandigarh line to 200 kms per hour and re-development of Ambala and ludhiana railway stations in Punjab. The Shatabdi Express between Chandigarh and New Delhi is the fastest train on the route and currently runs at an average speed of 79.80 kmph.