Smart transportation is very important to have smart cities, said Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, adding that it is cheaper to invest in smart transportation by using rail mode to connect rural areas with urban ones.
The cost of land is low in rural areas, he said, adding that this would enable people to travel to urban areas for employment, he said while addressing a CII event on ‘Smart transportation: Advancing US-India Cooperation’ here on Thursday.
In the context of the government’s plans to develop 100 smart cities, Prabhu cited the example of the US where the urban-rural divide is not visible in terms of infrastructure.
The event also saw the participation of a delegation led by US Secretary of Transport Anthony Foxx, who said they will cooperate on road traffic safety research and decided on joint study on the Yamuna Expressway connecting the National Capital Region with Agra.
Pointing out that India is trying to have one integrated planning for transport management, Prabhu told Foxx that, “You are very lucky to be dealing with all the modes of transport. In India, we have different Ministries dealing with transport.”
Prabhu also asked Foxx if India and the US could have an understanding specifically in the rail sector.
Meanwhile, in what could be of significance to India given the high number of fatal road accidents, Foxx said that the US Federal government ties up fund allocation to States based on their road safety laws, citing the specific example of how the US government got states to enforce seatbelt laws.
Foxx added that the US is moving from a mentality of just building the roads, to designing better. Also, better design of vehicles is a key element of road safety, he added.