India seeks South Korea's investment in railways

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has sought investment from South Korea in the Indian Railways, according to a statement issued by the Indian embassy here on Saturday.

Prabhu, who came here on September 9 on a three-day visit, met South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoo Il-ho, and discussed bilateral issues.

He invited Yoo to visit India with a business delegation to have a first-hand look at the Indian Railways.

He also met leaders of Korea Rail Network Authority, Lotte Group, Hyundai Rotem and National Pension Service, during his three-day stay in Seoul.

During the course of his stay, Prabhu visited Korea Railroad Research Institute and the under-construction Dongtan station of the Seoul Metropolitan High Speed Railway.

Interacting with his South Korean counterparts, the Indian minister mentioned that South Korea was a major potential partner for the Indian Railways because of its advanced technology and highly developed railway infrastructure that included high speed trains.

Highlighting India's plans to expand the railways capacity and enhance safety and also to modernise the infrastructure, he invited the Korean firms to invest in India and be partners in the modernisation projects of the Indian Railways.

On September 10, Prabhu attended the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Symposium organised by the South Korean ministry of land, infrastructure and transport and Korea Transport Institute.

Speaking at the ministerial session, the minister acknowledged that it was a perfect platform to discuss challenges being faced today to create infrastructure and maintain growth which was sustainable and at the same time preserved bio-diversity, according to the embassy statement.

The minister was accompanied by Girish Pillai, advisor on infrastructure of the Indian Railways. Rajnandan Kumar Singh, chief engineer in the ministry of road transport and highways, also joined the Indian delegation at the symposium.