Rail Budget 2015: Railways to setup portal to seek tech innovations, startups give thumbs-up

'We need to invest in fundamental and applied research for seeking solutions to rail-specific issues. We intend to set up a portal to invite innovative technological solutions.'

By Pranbihanga Borpuzari, ET Online | Updated: Feb 26, 2015, 05.44 PM IST

Rail Budget 2015: Railways to setup portal to seek tech innovations, startups give thumbs-up

NEW DELHI: Presenting his maiden budget Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on Thursday said railways will create a technology portal to seek innovative and creative technological solutions to improve services and cater to problems faced by railways.

"We need to invest in fundamental and applied research for seeking solutions to rail-specific issues. We intend to set up a technology portal to invite innovative technological solutions," said Prabhu in his speech.

Although the details of this portal is not immediately available, technology startups in the country have given a thumbs up to the initiative. "A portal to invite technological innovation is a good idea and there has been a lot of talk that over the last few years the value of innovation and creativity was reducing in the railways and the new move seems promising. I am curious how private players like us will participate but I hope it is not limited to only a few institutes or academic bodies," said RailYatri.in, Cofounder & CEO, Manish Rathi.

Rathi added that the contours of the announcement will be known in sometime and he has some very good plans around information, data, and technology that he would love to pitch this to the government.

"The initiative to start a portal for technology innovations is good and we expect much more private participation through this. We are already in the process of setting up an Association of Railway Entrepreneurs and Innovators and I think everyone from the private sector will benefit from this portal. Railways have been a closed environment and this would be a good initiative to reach out to some great innovations," said Travelkhana.com, Co founder & CEO, Pushpinder Singh.

Rathi says the budget clearly puts the focus on consumers and travelers with a lot of stress on technology related initiatives. "This is the probably the first rail budget where no new trains have been announced and this is a welcome change. Current infrastructure is heavily stressed and there has always been a question mark on how much more the railways can accommodate. This is interesting and where the focus is now on making life easier for commuters," says Rathi.

"The Union Railway Budget seems to be a good one as no additional pressure being put on the railways. Populist schemes and announcements have been kept away and I like the focus around technology. The budget aims to provide Wifi in 400 stations and this will be a welcome step. Hopefully this gets done soon as there is often a big time lag between announcements and implementation," says Singh.

Prabhu also announced that the Railways intend to set up an innovation council called "Kayakalp" for the purpose of business re-engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in Railways. Honoring the legacy of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Prabhu said Railways proposes to set up 'Malaviya Chair' for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU), Varanasi. This Chair will help in development of new materials to be used in all assets of Railways.

Railways have decided to strengthen the RDSO into an organization of excellence for applied research. RDSO would collaborate with institutions of repute. Railways will set up in 2015-16 four Railway Research Centers in select universities for doing fundamental research.

He added that a consortium of Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Science And Technology and Industries on an Investment Sharing Model is being set up as part of Technology Mission for Indian Railways to take up identified Railway projects for research.

"It is a budget that looks to consolidate what has been built previously. If things like Wifi and other technologies that the Minister mentioned take off, it will help companies provide better services. Each platform, each train is a marketplace and technology can enable new businesses to develop on top of it," says Rathi.

ET Rise MSME - Celebrating the big spirit of small businesses

Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.

Railway Budget 2015: 15 things common man can cheer about

1/16

Text: ECONOMICTIMES.COM

In a Railway Budget focused on enhancing passenger experience, Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday announced multiple initiatives including better ticketing facilities, upgraded stations and cleaner trains.

Prabhu increased the funds allotment for passenger amenities by 67%. "We are launching initiatives that will systematically address customer concerns about cleanliness, comfort, accessibility, service quality and speed of trains," Prabhu said.

"We are directing our efforts to make travel on Indian Railways a happy experience with a mix of various initiatives," he said in the Rail Budget speech.

We take a look at 15 main areas in Prabhu's Rail Budget that will improve common man's train journey: