Railways Adopt AI For Multilingual Passenger Services

10 Jun 2025 CW Team

In a significant move towards digital transformation and linguistic inclusion, the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) and the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate advanced multilingual artificial intelligence solutions across public-facing railway services.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of BHASHINI, and Shri G.V.L. Satya Kumar, Managing Director of CRIS. The collaboration will embed BHASHINI’s cutting-edge language technology suite — including Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Text-to-Text Translation, Text-to-Speech (TTS), and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) — into key CRIS-managed systems such as the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) and RailMadad.

The initiative will enable passengers across India to access railway services in 22 Indian languages, making travel information more inclusive and accessible. It aims to eliminate language barriers by deploying AI-powered solutions on websites, mobile apps, kiosks, call centres, and enquiry counters.

Speaking at the signing, Shri Amitabh Nag stated, “This collaboration will transform how millions of passengers interact with railway services. With BHASHINI’s AI capabilities, language will no longer be an obstacle in accessing essential public services.”

CRIS Managing Director Shri G.V.L. Satya Kumar added, “We are proud to partner with BHASHINI in building inclusive digital platforms that improve accessibility, transparency, and efficiency.”

Beyond language support, the partnership includes the joint development of multilingual chatbots and voice assistants, scaling deployment through both cloud and on-premise infrastructure, and initiating pilot programmes and technical workshops over the coming months.

This agreement forms a key milestone under the Digital India vision and positions India as a pioneer in leveraging AI for multilingual public digital infrastructure.

Infrastructure Urban

10 Mar 2026

ABB to Invest Rs 6.25 Billion to Expand India Manufacturing

ABB recently announced plans to invest approximately Rs 6.25 billion ($75 million) in India during 2026 to expand its manufacturing footprint and research and development capabilities. The investment follows more than $35 million spent in 2025 and reflects the company’s continued focus on strengthening its ‘local-for-local’ strategy in the country.The investment will support ABB’s Electrification, Motion and Automation businesses and expand manufacturing capacity for infrastructure sectors such as renewable energy, metro rail, data centres and industrial applications. Approximately 300..

Six WOLFF Cranes Handle 60,000 m³ Concrete for German Hospital

Six WOLFF tower cranes are playing a key role in constructing a new hospital complex in Memmingen, Germany, supporting large-scale material handling for the project. The facility is being built on a 7.7-hectare site and will feature six floors, around 480 beds and a gross floor area exceeding 75,000 sq m.Building shell works began recently in February 2025. One WOLFF 6531.12 Cross crane supported early site preparation before being dismantled in autumn 2025, while five remaining cranes continue operations. Over an average deployment period of 16 months, the cranes are expected to move approxim..

REC Funds Rs 115.6 Million CSR Support for Bihar Eye Hospital

REC recently committed Rs 115.6 million under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme for the procurement of clinical and non-clinical equipment at Sankara Eye Hospital in Saharsa, Bihar. The initiative aims to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and improve access to specialised eye care services in the region.A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was recently signed between Pradeep Fellows, Executive Director (CSR), REC Limited, and Wg Cdr V. Shankar (Retd), Trustee and Executive Director of Sankara Eye Hospital, at the REC office in the SCOPE Complex, New Delhi.The support is expecte..