Gujarat Government has decided to give 31 acre land for proposed sprawling Railways University campus near Vadodara in Central Gujarat. This will be the first Railways University in the country.
Sources in the Ministry of Railways said that the original plan was to house the proposed Railway University at the existing National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR).
“NAIR is having sprawling campus of 55 acres at lal Baug area in Vadodara, which provides training to all levels of Indian Railway officers - from probationers to general managers. The academy was founded in 1930 at Dehradun and later on in 1952 shifted to Vadodara in the lofty and heritage Pratap Vilas Palace building,” said the source, adding that the decision to develop Railway University at separate campus has been taken in view offering array of courses related to railways and allied courses and accommodated maximum students in future.
Reciprocating a letter demanding a piece of land for the proposed university, the Gujarat government had given three options near Vadodara including near Padara village, Desar Village and on Vaghodia - Pipariya Road. Of the three locations, Railway Authority resorted to a location on Vadhodia - Pipariya Road on the outskirts of Vadodara. In fact Ministry of
Railways had sent a team of senior officials and after visiting all the three sites, they finalised the location on the outskirts of Vadodara.
“Though it would take 3-4 years to construct buildings for the Railway University at the proposed site on Vadhodia - Pipariya Road, but the courses of Railway University will kick-start from next academic year. Vadodara based Maharaja Sayajirao University (known as MS University) has consented to utilized its facility till the completion of construction work,” said the sources, adding that initially Master of Technology (M Tech) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) will be conducted from MS University Campus. Once the campus would come up the Railway University will offer many other courses, he added.