India’s first railway university is set to be inaugurated on 15 December by Union minister Piyush Goyal and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI) in Vadodara, Gujarat had taken first batch of 103 students from 20 states in two fully-residential undergraduate courses in September this year. This is the third university of its kind in the world, the other two being at Russia and China.
Two under-graduate programmes — B.Sc. in Transportation Technology and BBA programme in Transportation Management — started, while the university aims to start Masters programme from 2019-20 academic session in areas such as Transportation and Systems Design, Transport Systems Engineering, Transport Policy and Economics, among others.
“It is a matter of great pride that such a unique institute offering such diverse courses will be dedicated to the nation on December 15,” the official said. The student body is highly diverse with 17 girls and 86 boys coming from 20 states. Forty-one students are admitted in BBA — Transportation Management — and 62 students in B.Sc (Transportation Technology) programme.
Rs. 421 crores have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways for the project for next five years. Approximately 110 acres of land at Pipaliya village in Waghodiya Taluka, District Vadodara has been given to the university.
Acquisition of the land from the Gujarat government is under process and the master plan of the new campus is being finalised.