In a major boost for Indian railways , the Cabinet today approved the project to set up India’s first National Rail and Transport University

In a major boost for Indian railways, the Cabinet today approved the project to set up India’s first National Rail and Transport University (NRTU). The premier institution will be situated in Vadodara in Gujarat. The Ministry of Railways in a tweet said that the university will skill human resources and build the capability of Indian Railways.

“India’s 1st National Rail & Transportation University to transform Indian railway and transport sector for a New India,” the tweet added. The rail university is expected to boost the economy of the country. This aims to skill manpower for rail and transport sector, foster innovative entrepreneurship, generate large-scale employment opportunities and faster movement of people and goods. The Ministry of Railways tweeted that the rail university will boost skill India, Start Up India and Make in India projects as well as transform railway and transportation sector. It has been considered the best-in-class institute to promote the above moves. The first of its kind university will create employment and improve productivity as per the government. It is also expected to help in skill upgradation programmes to provide gainful employment for the youth.

Realising PM @NarendraModi‘s vision of ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’ & ‘Startup India’, Govt. to set up India’s 1st National Rail & Transportation University in Vadodara, Gujarat. The #RailUniversity will foster entrepreneurship & generate large scale employment opportunities. pic.twitter.com/IoDON5dgaz — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) December 20, 2017

The National Rail and Transportation University has been formally approved after three years of virtual standstill. The first batch of students is set to start classes in June next year as per The Indian Express. According to recent reports, PM Modi is taking a keen and personal interest in the development of the railways university. Modi and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have been pushing the Railways to draw up a roadmap and start the project, but the Railways Ministry’s progress has been slow at best. In the last three months, the Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani had taken it up says IE report.

Indian Railways will float the company, as opposed to an earlier plan of getting one of its PSUs to do it. Internally named National Rail Transport University (NRTU), the proposed institution will have its base at the National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) in Vadodara, Gujarat. It will offer courses on all transport-related streams. Pramath Sinha, founding-dean of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and co-founder of Ashoka University, has been drafted in to advise the government on how to set up the university, and what shape it should take to be a future-ready centre for excellence in transport-infrastructure engineering. Private players may also be roped into partner with the running of the university at a later stage, sources were quoted saying by IE.