Collaboration to provide specialised training on Vande Bharat trains, traction systems, TCMS, diagnostics and other advanced railway technologies
Kharagpur / New Delhi : Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) has entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), Jamalpur, to strengthen the technical capabilities of Indian Railways personnel in advanced rolling stock technologies.
The collaboration is being coordinated through IIT Kharagpur’s Centre for Railway Research (CRR) and will focus on specialised residential training programmes for officials of Indian Railways.
The initiative comes at a time when Indian Railways is expanding the deployment of modern trainsets and adopting increasingly sophisticated propulsion, control, diagnostic and safety technologies.
Training to Cover Vande Bharat and Advanced Rolling Stock
Under the five-year partnership, IIT Kharagpur will facilitate specialised programmes covering several critical areas of modern railway rolling stock.
The major areas of training include:
- Vande Bharat train technology
- Advanced traction and propulsion systems
- Electrical safety and protection systems
- Train Control and Management System (TCMS)
- Rolling stock diagnostics
- Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance
- Reliability engineering
- Regenerative braking systems
- Advanced electrical and mechanical systems used in modern trainsets
The programmes are designed to provide participants with both theoretical understanding and practical exposure to technologies used in contemporary railway operations.
Combination of Classroom and Practical Learning
The training programmes will follow a blended technical-learning approach. Participants will receive classroom-based instruction alongside laboratory experiments, hands-on technical sessions and field visits.
This approach is intended to help railway officials understand not only the design and working principles of advanced rolling stock systems but also their application in operational and maintenance environments.
The practical component is particularly relevant to areas such as diagnostics, condition monitoring, propulsion systems and reliability engineering, where technical personnel need to understand the behaviour of equipment under actual operating conditions.
IIT Kharagpur and IRIMEE Officials Sign MoU
The MoU was signed by Prof. Swagata Dasgupta, Dean of Outreach, IIT Kharagpur, and Mr. Prem Prakash, Dean, IRIMEE.
Prof. Vikranth Racherla from IIT Kharagpur and Mr. Siddharth Shankar from IRIMEE have been designated as the nodal officers responsible for coordinating the collaboration.
The five-year agreement provides an institutional framework for continuing specialised technical training rather than limiting the partnership to a one-time programme.
Strengthening Technical Skills for Modern Indian Railways
The partnership brings together IIT Kharagpur’s academic and research capabilities with IRIMEE’s specialised role in training railway personnel.
The focus on Vande Bharat trains and advanced rolling stock systems is expected to help railway officials strengthen their understanding of newer technologies being adopted across India’s railway network.
Areas such as traction and propulsion, TCMS, regenerative braking, diagnostics and condition monitoring are increasingly important for improving the reliability, safety and maintainability of modern train systems.
The collaboration also supports the broader objective of developing technical expertise within the Indian Railways ecosystem and encouraging greater adoption of indigenous railway technologies.
About IRIMEE
The Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), Jamalpur, is a specialised training institute of Indian Railways focused on technical and professional development in mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines.
About IIT Kharagpur’s Centre for Railway Research
IIT Kharagpur’s Centre for Railway Research (CRR) works on railway-related research, technology development, education and industry collaboration. Its involvement in the MoU provides a platform for connecting academic expertise with the operational and technical requirements of Indian Railways.
The five-year collaboration between IIT Kharagpur and IRIMEE is therefore intended to create a sustained training framework for railway personnel working with next-generation rolling stock and associated technologies.
Source: Official update from IIT Kharagpur.
