France to help develop world-class railway stations in India

Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) has entered a tripartite agreement with SNCF (French National Railway Company) and AFD, a French agency, to support the railway station development programme in India. Under this agreement, AFD will provide in-kind grant financing of up to 700,000 Euro through French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs and Connexions as a technical partner, to IRSDC. This will impose no financial liability on IRSDC or Indian Railways. The agreement was signed in the presence of Suresh Angadi, Minister of State of Railways, Government of India; Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Government of France; Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India and other senior officials.Speaking on this occasion, Angadi said, “India and France have a strong and long-standing prosperous partnership in the railway sector. French Railways (SNCF) in the past has been associated with Indian Railways in conducting a speed upgrade study for Delhi-Chandigarh section and development of Ludhiana and Ambala stations. I am sure that this effort will go a long way in further strengthening Indo-French cooperation and will help Indian Railways in positioning its stations to world-class standards.”