Bengal a business haven, feels Italian delegation

Apart from MoUs already signed in the leather sector, there was the presence of delegates from railway sector who are established experts in railway hardware, railway braking and tension devices.

The rail delegates see Bengal as a fertile ground to showcase their already established service, especially in light of the fact that Bengal is undertaking the completion of its extensive Metro Rail project to shorten surface travel.

The Bengal government had earlier proposed extension of the East-West Metro line to the Airport to link major transportation hubs together. The railways have already approved an extension till Haldiram on VIP Road. The state wants to extend it 2.4 km further, to terminate at Kolkata Airport to meet two other metro links.

Also, there are plans of a monorail project in Rajarhat, which can gain from Italian expertise on passenger safety systems.

In a meeting during BGBS, there were some tangible talks on eye-level safety services. With its consolidated knowledge and multiple accreditations, recognised at both national and international levels, Italcertifer provides a wide range of services related to certification, inspection and third-party compliance assessment for the rail industry.

"We cater to safety services in high speed rail projects, specially driverless systems. Our safety services are well-known across Europe and other parts of the world. We are also providing services of rail signals and it would be of immense mutual benefit for both sides if there was exchange of our safety technology to facilitate eye-level safety for passengers as the city supports a huge population and a successful governance gives prime importance to safety along with swiftness of transport," stated Carmine Zappacosta, CEO of Italcertifer.