Railway ministry to rope in companies to launch high speed trains

Discussions by the Railway Ministry with top six global companies for the launch of very high speed trains in India that can travel at a speed of 600kms per hour was in the advanced stage, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on 4 March, 2017.

"We called for six top global companies who have technology that can travel beyond the 350km/hour speed. These trains can travel upto 600kms/hr speed. We called them and we told them that we will develop with you", he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Chennai.

"Six companies have come forward and the talks are in advanced stages". If they could manufacture such high speed trains, the county would also be able to export it, he said.

Prabhu was here to take part in the Tamil Nadu Business Leaders Conference organised by CII.

To a query on the timeframe for the launch of such high trains, Prabhu said "it may happen in 10 years. These are new areas which we are working on".

On the launch speed trains, he said "Japanese companies are investing almost Rs one lakh crore into high speed railways."

-PTI