With passenger experience, trend-sets, freight logistics, manufacturing and maintaining environment, Indian Railways is already undergoing changes. However, technology is going to be the growth driver in 2020 and the country looks forward to international technology platforms like Innotrans 2020, according to said Rajesh Agrawal, Member Rolling Stock, Railway Board. The growth is expected not in exponential terms but in terms of transformation of technology trends, he said speaking at an event organised by Confederation of Indian industry (CII) event with Railway Board, Government of India.

Technology and innovation will be the mission for the Railways this year. "Industrial Automation in a connected world- Technology in Transformation of Trains," he said.

Indian Railways last year has already set key milestones towards growth, achieving significant growth in manufacturing and producing record number coaches to meet the domestic requirements as well as to make the industry export-ready. It has also achieved the nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that are set under Paris Agreement for making long-term environmental impact.

Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology said, there is no better example of Science in action for society than Indian Railways, making a direct interface with innovation and society. The Secretary also talked about the ‘Five Ms' of Mechanics, materials, Machine, Manufacturing and Men, which make the ‘Society 5.0' in lines of Industry 4.0. Although machines have been the elements of growth in manufacturing, the interconnected aspects of machine, man and new insights becomes important while working with technology. Thus, cyber-physical missions hold greater promise in the current time, he added.

Parthsarathi Trivedi, Member, CII National Committee on Space and CEO and Co-Founder, Skylo Technologies said that several industries, from agriculture to railways are being transformed with data and need connectivity in geographies which are yet unconnected.