Japanese experts in India to examine railway safety

A team of experts from Japan arrived here on Monday to assess the safety status of the Indian Railways network, the Embassy of Japan has said.

The visit comes in the backdrop of back-to-back rail accidents.

The experts, who will be here till September 1, will meet senior officials and conduct site visits.

The team of experts consists of railway safety experts from railway-related organisations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

"The team dispatched by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA," according to the embassy statement.

The visit of the experts also comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for India's first ever high-speed rail network next month.

The first line for the bullet train is being developed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and soil testing and terrain mapping are currently underway, railway officials said.

India signed an agreement with Japan in February this year on enhancing railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus on railway track and rolling stock safety.