Top Japanese Railway safety experts are in India to hold discussions with the Ministry of Railways on the issue of safety on tracks and to exchange ideas. The Japanese experts will also conduct site visits related to Railway safety. The team is in India in the backdrop of recent major rail accidents in India.
"The Government of Japan and the Government of India are working closely on Railway safety in India, based on the Rs Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan and the Ministry of Railways of the Republic of India on Rail Safety', signed in February 2017, in response to the Government of India's request for Japanese Government's support on railway safety, in December 2016. The Government of Japan dispatches this railway safety expert team based on the Government of India's request submitted in July, 2017," the Japanese embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
It added that the expert team consists of railway safety experts from railway related organizations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MlIT). "The team will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA. The Government of Japan expects that the dispatch of this railway safety expert team will enhance the level of cooperation on railway safety between Japan and India," the statement added.
It is learnt that the Indian government had sent a request on July 7 to Japan for the visit of its Railway safety experts. Though this expert team is not visiting the three recent accident sites, it is learnt that the team is going to visit the sites related to rail maintenance, rail welding, rolling stock and safety management. Sources said the present team is here to understand India's needs in the field of rail related issues including detection of rail fractures.
Japan has sent similar team of Railway safety experts on January 9, and again from January 23-27, 2017. During that visit the Japanese railway safety experts reviewed rail condition of Indian Railways, saw demonstration of welding and checking rail, observed fractured rails, and also exchanged ideas with railway safety experts in India.