Indian Railways seeks inspiration from Swiss Excellence in Rail Tech

25 Jan 2024 CW Team

In a recent interview at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Minister Vaishnaw underscored the potential for mutual learning and cooperation with Switzerland in both contemporary and traditional railway technologies. He particularly highlighted the expertise in tunnelling technology, pointing to Switzerland's achievement in constructing the world's longest 57-km Gotthard tunnel. Additionally, he commended Switzerland's well-developed track technology, noting the "interesting" structure of their tracks.

The minister observed a key aspect of Switzerland's railway network ? its hub-and-spoke design. This model involves multiple trains converging at a central hub, like Zurich, facilitating easy passenger transfers between trains departing around the same time. In contrast to India's emphasis on end-to-end connectivity between distant cities, Switzerland employs six hubs with numerous connecting spokes, focusing on synchronized arrivals and departures for efficient changeovers.

Vaishnaw expressed the potential for learning and collaboration through a memorandum of understanding with Swiss railways. He lauded Switzerland's effective inter-connectivity across various public transport modes, including trains, buses, cable cars, and metro, with passengers benefiting from seamless travel using a common card or ticket. Switzerland boasts a dense 5,200-km railway network, predominantly electrified, with exceptions for steam locomotives in certain tourism-centric areas.

Highlighting India's propensity for adopting successful global practices, the minister cited the recent inspiration drawn from Japan's "7-minute cleaning miracle." Emulating this efficiency, Indian Railways launched its own version ? the 14-minute cleaning miracle ? for the Vande Bharat Express trains on October 1, 2023.

Indian Railways is looking to draw inspiration from the Swiss Railways playbook, with plans to engage in collaborative efforts to glean insights into best practices and methodologies. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the collaboration will encompass a broad spectrum of knowledge, ranging from the hub-and-spoke model to advanced tunneling technology. In a recent interview at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Minister Vaishnaw underscored the potential for mutual learning and cooperation with Switzerland in both contemporary and traditional railway technologies. He particularly highlighted the expertise in tunnelling technology, pointing to Switzerland's achievement in constructing the world's longest 57-km Gotthard tunnel. Additionally, he commended Switzerland's well-developed track technology, noting the interesting structure of their tracks. The minister observed a key aspect of Switzerland's railway network ? its hub-and-spoke design. This model involves multiple trains converging at a central hub, like Zurich, facilitating easy passenger transfers between trains departing around the same time. In contrast to India's emphasis on end-to-end connectivity between distant cities, Switzerland employs six hubs with numerous connecting spokes, focusing on synchronized arrivals and departures for efficient changeovers. Vaishnaw expressed the potential for learning and collaboration through a memorandum of understanding with Swiss railways. He lauded Switzerland's effective inter-connectivity across various public transport modes, including trains, buses, cable cars, and metro, with passengers benefiting from seamless travel using a common card or ticket. Switzerland boasts a dense 5,200-km railway network, predominantly electrified, with exceptions for steam locomotives in certain tourism-centric areas. Highlighting India's propensity for adopting successful global practices, the minister cited the recent inspiration drawn from Japan's 7-minute cleaning miracle. Emulating this efficiency, Indian Railways launched its own version ? the 14-minute cleaning miracle ? for the Vande Bharat Express trains on October 1, 2023.

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