It is often pointed out that every rupee invested in ramping up railway infrastructure benefits the economy six times over. Therefore, after languishing for nearly 70 years, modernisation of the sector has been put on the fast track.

Hitachi and its subsidiary company, Ansaldo, are engaged with the Indian Railways on many platforms. We will be introducing state-of-the-art technology in signalling and telecommunications on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Delhi to Mumbai.

Subrat Nath, Area Director, Asia-Pacific, Talgo, a privately-held rolling stock and maintenance equipment manufacturer headquartered at Madrid, says that the firm is keen to not only change the way railway journeys are undertaken in India, but also make the country a major manufacturing hub for its products.

Tilak Raj Seth, Executive Vice President, Mobility, Siemens, feels implementation of PPP will provide a fillip to railway projects in India. However, given the size and rapid growth in the country's rail sector, availability of trained manpower will remain a primary challenge.

Mangu Singh, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) indicates that challenges around land acquisition have slowed down the ongoing extension of metro rail network. Therefore, if the need arises again, the metro rail operator in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) will not be averse to negotiating directly with private landowners.

Cyient is a global rail engineering solutions provider with over 25 years of rich engineering heritage. We partner with rolling stock original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and rail signalling providers, enabling them to effectively design, build and maintain assets and efficiently realise projects for the Indian Railways.

It was 6.15 pm with 15 minutes to go for the mega event of the infrastructure equipment industry. Meanwhile, the Viceroy Hall at the heritage Claridges Hotel located in New Delhi's famed Lutyen's Zone was already filled to capacity.

PR Jaishankar, Chief General Manager, India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) says that old models of development financing need a complete overhaul. He feels while development financing still holds relevance, it needs to be viewed in the context of the dynamic needs of the emerging environment.

Arun Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director, Vishvaraj Infrastructure, says users will pay for drinking water if service providers improve service and engagement levels. Lakhani, whose firm has successfully rolled out the much-acclaimed 'Nagpur 24x7 Water Supply Scheme' in partnership with the French firm Veolia, also feels that the government needs to enunciate a policy on water reuse to make treated water an attractive proposition for the industry.