Visakhapatnam ropes in Moscow to modernise its urban transport system

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) roped in the Government of Moscow to develop a modern, technology-driven urban transportation system, officials said on Monday.

A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed by GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and Moscow Deputy Mayor and Head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, Maksim Liksutov, during the 5th International Transport Summit in Moscow, an official press release here said.

"The MoC with the Government of Moscow will help Visakhapatnam develop a modern, technology-driven urban transport system by facilitating collaboration in intelligent transport systems, integrated ticketing, artificial intelligence-enabled traffic management and sustainable mobility solutions," the release added.

The Andhra Pradesh government said that the partnership was the outcome of IT Minister Nara Lokesh's official visit to Russia in June, during which he held discussions with Moscow's transport leadership.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister P Narayana said Visakhapatnam was emerging as a major growth centre for Andhra Pradesh and was evolving into a hub for industry, technology, tourism and innovation. He said a modern and integrated transportation network would be essential to support the city's future growth.

The minister said the partnership with the Moscow government would enable Andhra Pradesh to study proven international practices in urban mobility and adopt suitable solutions for Visakhapatnam's transport infrastructure.

According to the government, the MoC creates an institutional framework for continued technical engagement, knowledge exchange and project-level collaboration.

The government said Moscow operates one of the world's most extensive and technologically integrated urban transport networks, combining metro rail, buses, trams, electric buses, the Moscow Central Circle and the Moscow Central Diameters under a unified transport system, the release said.

Russian capital has developed an integrated fare-payment ecosystem through the Troika smart card and uses intelligent transport systems, artificial intelligence, computer vision, data analytics and centralised traffic management to improve passenger convenience, road safety, operational efficiency and the reliability of public transport services, the release added.

The partnership will cover sustainable and low-emission mobility solutions, automotive and electronics manufacturing, energy storage systems, vertical transportation solutions, technology transfer, and training and exchange programmes for officials, professionals and specialists.

The government said the partnership is expected to help Visakhapatnam adopt global best practices in multimodal transport integration, transport data utilisation and sustainable urban mobility etc.

MA&UD Principal Secretary, S Suresh Kumar said the agreement would facilitate sustained knowledge exchange and provide GVMC access to advanced expertise in urban mobility and digital transformation.

The government added that it would work with GVMC and the Government of Moscow to identify priority areas and develop specific projects under the cooperation framework, with the broader objective of transforming Visakhapatnam into a clean, connected, accessible and technology-enabled global city.