Fiji has secured significant railway infrastructure development assistance from the Indian Government during Attorney General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum's official visit to the World Sustainable Development Summit held in New Delhi, India last week.
In his meeting with the Indian Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal, the Attorney General expressed the urgent need for revolutionising the existing Fijian railway network to not only cart far more cane by rail to the mills but extend it to transport everyday passengers and cargo.
Sayed-Khaiyum says using an upgraded rail system in such a manner will relieve pressure on Fijian roads and is fundamental to the long‑term sustainable development of Fiji.
He adds that Fiji’s tourism industry would receive a major boost from a railway network upgrade, as the introduction of passenger trains would expand the benefits of tourism spending to more of the country than ever before.
Goyal has offered the immediate deployment of technical expertise for the assessment of the Fijian railway network.
The Indian team will comprise of civil and mechanical engineers, including traffic management experts.
The delegation is expected to arrive in Fiji in the next few weeks.
The assessment of the Fijian railway network will also inform the utilisation of the line of credit to the Fiji Sugar Corporation by the EXIM Bank of India.
Indian Railways, which will be providing the assistance, is India’s state‑owned railway system. With the number of daily passengers carried by Indian Railway exceeding 22 million, and a total of 8.26 billion passengers last year, it is the most travelled rail operation in the world.
