India's First Railway University Coming Up In Gujarat, To Cost Rs 865 Crore And Offer Management And Engineering Courses

Country's first railway university proposed to come up in Vadodara will cost at least Rs 865 crore, excluding the land cost. The proposal regarding this is pending with the NITI Aayog.

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Also, if things go as per plans, the university will come up on 31.40 hectare land (around 80 acres) that the government has allocated in Piparia village in Waghodiya taluka.

It was in December 2015 that the railway ministry had declared setting up country's first railway university. Later, union minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha during his visit to the National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) had announced that the university will come up in Vadodara.

"The Vadodara district collectorate had shown us land in Padra, Desar and Piparia. Of these, Piparia is best suited for the university campus," said Rajiv Gupta, director general of NAIR. 

NAIR, formerly known as the Railway Staff College, presently acts as the apex level training and management development institute for the officers of the Indian Railways.

"The initial cost for setting up the university in two phases is estimated at Rs 865 crore that will be spent over a period of 10 years," he said. As a precursor to the proposed university, a MoU will be soon signed with M S University.

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Gupta said:

"As per the agreement, MBA for railway probationers for Indian Railways Accounts Services, Indian Railways Personnel Services and Indian Railways Stores Services will be offered at M S University. We expect that the MoU will be signed soon and the next batch will start from the forthcoming academic year."

Vadodara will be the headquarter of the university and the six colleges of railways located at Secunderabad, Nashik, Pune, Jamalpur in Bihar and Lucknow will become its constituent schools.