As part of the consultation with the Chairmen of all UIC regions about guidance and perspectives for further developing regional cooperation activities, UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux met Mr Süleyman Karaman, President and Director-General of Turkish Railways (TCDD), Chairman of the UIC Regional Assembly for the Middle-East (RAME) on 23 March in Ankara.

The Turkish Railways’ delegation also included TCDD Deputy Director-Generals Mr Ismet Duman and Mr Isa Apaydin, Mr Ibrahim Cevik, Head of International Affairs Department, the members of the International Affairs team in charge of cooperation with UIC, and the person responsible for the TCDD Training Division. From UIC, Mr Loubinoux was assisted by Paul Véron, Director, UIC Coordinator for the Middle-East.

RAME Chairman Süleyman Karaman and the UIC Director-General agreed on the assessment that the activities of the UIC Middle-Eastern region recently suffered from the unstable situation in several countries of the region. The result was the postponement or cancellation of several important activities planned in the UIC RAME Action Plan.

On the other hand, Mr Loubinoux stressed that the Middle-East is currently one of the UIC regions with the most ambitious and wide-ranging railway development plans, which also means huge opportunities for potential investors and business partners. Another positive development is the regular expansion of the RAME community to new countries or new railway companies. Therefore the UIC RAME Action Plan for 2012-2013 has to be reconsidered, updated and reshaped in order to take all the new developments into consideration and implement activities which will be directly beneficial to the Middle-Eastern railways.

During this meeting it was decided that a joint letter, signed by Mr Karaman and Mr Loubinoux, would be sent to all RAME Presidents and CEOs in order to send out a strong signal to re-launch and boost UIC RAME activities. This would be achieved by concentrating on three main fields of regional cooperation in 2012:

• As a priority the organisation of the high-level conference “Towards a competitive, interconnected Rail Transport System – Projects and Perspectives in the Middle-East”, that had to be postponed twice due to political evolutions and instability in the Middle-Eastern region. The main objective with this important event is to present railway plans and gain support from governments, international organisations, financial institutions and banks, potential investors and business partners, intermodal operators, ports, and the industry. This high-level conference could be held in November in Jordan (to be confirmed).

• Technical cooperation with the support of the UIC’s technical expertise. The main event in the technical field would be a RAME Seminar on High Speed to be held in Ankara in early October 2012. This seminar would target all members in Middle-East – and also Asia – planning or implementing high speed rail operations. This seminar would be designed as a Training Session on High Speed for the Middle-East.

• Developing training capacity for RAME members, starting with the capacity already available in existing rail training centres. TCDD has agreed to devote some of its capacity to developing specific programmes for RAME members at Ankara’s rail training centre. The first of its activities will begin in early October with the preparation of the High Speed Training Session in Ankara, in close cooperation with the UIC HQ High Speed Department and the UIC Expertise Development Division.

All these actions should be implemented with the strong commitment and involvement of all members in the Middle-Eastern Region and with the permanent support from the UIC RAME Regional Office based in Tehran.

The 10th meeting of the UIC Regional Assembly for the Middle-East will be held from 3 – 4 June 2012 in Doha, Qatar, at the kind invitation of the Qatar Railway Company (QRC), which joined UIC as a new member in December 2011.

On 28 March Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director-General of UIC, and Mr Gennady Bessonov, Secretary General of the Coordinating Council on Transsiberian Transportation (CCTT), signed a Memorandum of Cooperation at UIC Headquarters in Paris.

This Memorandum takes into consideration the opportunities arising from the globalisation of economic activities, resulting in increased East-West cargo transportation linking Asia, Europe and North-East America as well as the experience gained through the work on ensuring the competitiveness of railway transportation and the broadly shared interests in increasing West-East-West cargo flows.

One of the main missions of the UIC is to place rail transport as a key link in the global logistics chain through the efficient functioning of international rail corridors, and also implementation of the international railway law at the level of railways, particularly by means of developing various documents and instruments, and standardisation of contractual conditions for international rail traffic.

CCTT is the association which includes more than 100 rail and maritime companies. It coordinates the activities between the participants of international multimodal transportation. CCTT’s aim is to help attract cargo to the West-East International Transport Corridor by using the Trans-Siberian mainline, particularly through the implementation of innovative technologies of international container shipping and electronic data processing.

UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said: “Interoperability has always been at the very heart of UIC’s mission. Today more than ever interoperability is the key to creating the fundamental development of corridors linking Europe and Asia. This means technical, administrative, legal and commercial issues to be solved. Therefore, this common and shared vision between UIC and CCTT working together on these issues will certainly be a foundation for developing railways at global and intercontinental level”.

The cooperation between both organisations includes:

• Achieving cooperation with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of international railway freight traffic in the field of: transport policy, safety issues, scientific technical and economic information on the basis of modern information technologies, statistics - container shipping by rail in foreign traffic using the Trans-Siberian mainline - international transport on corridors - including performing common analysis of the work, drafting proposals and recommendations on improving cargo transportation via the international transport corridors, freight transportation as part of solid container and contrailer trains in Eurasian traffic collaboratively, alleviating border crossings, and introducing competitive transit rates.

• Cooperating in the field of innovation, with the aim of establishing common information including: implementation of electronic data, preparation and execution of joint innovation projects for the needs of railway transport and transport logistics companies.

• Performing cooperation in international education considering the mutual interest in developing scientifically-educational programs in the field of international relations, international logistics and international transport (railway) law, which is essential for employees in a modern transport system.

Companies invest significantly in safety, mainly through the implementation of regulations and technical tools. It would seem, however, that these efforts are no longer sufficient to ensure that the companies concerned continue to improve their performance rates. It is therefore necessary to fully integrate human and organisational aspects into the system in order to improve industrial safety performance.

Against this backdrop, Virginie Papillault, Senior Advisor for Human and Organisational Factors at UIC, has completed a two-year (part-time) Executive Master’s specialising in the “Human and Organisational Factors of Industrial Safety Management”. The course, accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles françaises (French association of engineering and business schools), was jointly delivered by two Grandes Ecoles: ESCP-Europe and Mines ParisTech.

As an integral part of railway operations, safety – along with the consideration now given to Human and Organisational Factors in managing it – is an area in which UIC can usefully develop its knowledge, in particular through field-based efforts and research activities, enabling UIC members to benefit from the results achieved.

This research, which was written up into and submitted as a vocational thesis, focuses on the “Safety and performance model: benchmark of companies in the European railway sector”. The thesis centres on two hypotheses: the first to compare companies’ safety performance levels, and the second to examine how these companies implement safety in practice. In other words, the aim is to observe the way in which companies apply and “make” safety.

Above and beyond existing regulations and standards, the conclusions of this work underline that companies henceforth need to increase their awareness of the vital role played by human nature and organisational arrangements in safety management.

During her research under Denis Besnard, Thesis Director at the Mines ParisTech engineering school, Virginie used a method enabling her to collect field data from four UIC members. This data put her hypotheses on a sound basis that was entirely relevant to the issues addressed by UIC and its members.

This specialised Master’s has enabled Virginie to develop new skills in this area and to acquire a valuable network of contacts from large French and international industrial companies such as EDF, Areva, Total, GDF Suez, BASF, EFS, SIAAP, etc. These new links will enable UIC to make progress in the area of safety, which it wishes to understand from a more systemic perspective, through multi-sector exchange on the subject and experience-sharing between the network’s members.

Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General, is delighted with the dedication Virginie has shown to the subject over the last two years, alongside her work as Senior Advisor. “UIC sees the importance of helping high-potential staff develop skills through study programmes, where the knowledge and know-how acquired also benefit the association. This is especially the case when the work finds particular resonance in UIC bodies and working groups and sheds new light on the topic, in the interest of the sector itself. I hope Virginie’s work will be disseminated and will provide a fresh boost to the work of the UIC Safety Platform”.

The thesis (written in French*), entitled “Safety and performance model: benchmark of companies in the European railway sector”, is available on request from Virginie Papillault. *English version currently being translated.

Following two successful editions in Delhi (2007) and Saint-Petersburg (2010), the 3rd Global Rail Freight Conference (GRFC) is scheduled to be held in Morocco, Tangier, from 17 – 19 October 2012. The main theme of this leading international event dedicated to freight transport by rail is “Rail freight – what role does it play in the evolution of global logistics systems?”

This major event in the 2012 UIC calendar is being jointly prepared by Moroccan Railways (ONCF) and UIC (Freight Department, Security Division and Communications Department). ONCF’s organisational partners are the Freight and Logistics Department, the Department for Strategy, International Cooperation as well as the Communications Department. A meeting of the joint ONCF/UIC Organising Committee was held on 14 March at ONCF Headquarters in Rabat.

This world conference is being prepared under the high patronage of the Moroccan authorities. Participants at this event in Tangier will include decision-makers from national and international authorities, international organisations and financial institutions as well as high-level representatives from rail freight, logistics and intermodal companies, ports, industry partners, business and trade, etc.

The various round tables and sessions of the 3rd GRFC will address, among others, the following topics: the current trends and evolutions of the global logistics systems and the contribution of rail freight, the role of the Mediterranean region as a hub for international logistic services, perspectives connected with the development of intercontinental rail freight corridors, new technologies in the handling of rail freight and intermodal transport, security issues, etc.

The 3rd Global Rail Freight Conference will also provide an opportunity for exhibitors to present their latest achievements to participants. A technical visit will also be proposed to the conference participants.

More detailed information will be available very soon on the GRFC webpage and through flyers and promotion material.

The Rail System Forum (RSF) Plenary Session met on 29 March 2012 at UIC in Paris to discuss the Forum’s projects for 2013. The meeting was chaired by Zbigniew Szafrański, CEO of PKP, bringing together 60 members from Infrastructure Managers and Railway Undertakings. Members from oversees such as Jeff Moller from AAR were able to follow the meeting via web conferencing whereas JR-East and KORAIL sent representatives to be present at this high-level meeting. Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General, updated members from 26 different railway organisations and official representatives from CER on the major events planned in 2012, in particular outlining the importance of Standardisation issues, Essential Projects and Railway Research.

All members unanimously approved the final version of the RSF Terms of Reference which – together with the “RSF Outlook and Vision document” – provides a sound basis for this technical platform and its five sectors. An appendix to the RSF Outlook and Vision document, including the selection criteria for Essential Projects, will be prepared and presented at the next Plenary Session in October.

Andy Doherty, chairman of the RSF Track & Structures Sector, Michele Mario Elia, chairman of the Control Command and Signalling & Operations Sector, Pierre-Etienne Gautier, chairman of the Train Track Interaction Sector and Sam Berggren, chairman of the Energy Management Sector, gave an overview on the highlights for each domain and outlined the work plan for 2012. Joachim Mayer, chairman of the Rolling Stock Sector was represented by Laurent Lasnier.

Several UIC Senior Advisors presented the new project proposals for 2013, covering the standardisation of interfaces, energy and power supply, and the maintenance of UIC leaflets. For the first time a new proposal has been put forward by a railway member, ZSR, to deal with electromagnetic interactions in traction electrification systems. Emilio Maestrini, director of the Rail System Department, stressed the importance of the maintenance of UIC leaflets and its drivers on the railway market (cost reduction, protection of fundamental values of railway service and performance).

Several projects came to completion in 2011/beginning of 2012 and a number of eligible project managers presented the results to the Rail System Forum members: Patrick Dupont, SNCF, reported on the results of the Equivalent Conicity project which is going to provide an important input to the Europe Train project whereas Gerard Auditeau, SNCF, updated members on the results of the project on Contact Strip wires carried out jointly with the Energy and Electric Traction Experts Group. The final report has been established and will be published in the coming weeks.

In the area of signalling the results of the EIRENE specifications and the latest development of GSM-R Frequency Management were presented by Dan Mandoc, UIC, and George Barbu, UIC, gave a detailed report on ERTMS activities with a special focus on ERTMS Regional and the joint European Project SATLOC (Satellite based operation and management of local low traffics lines).

The latest developments on the work of the UIC Asset Management Expert Group was delivered by the chairman of the group, Dominique Gardin, Infrabel, and a short update on the finalised EPR (European Performance Regime) and the ERIM database (European Rail Infrastructure Masterplan) was given by Mrs Erika Nissi, UIC.

At the end of the Plenary Session chairman Szafrański thanked all speakers and members for their active contribution and thanked Mr Maestrini for his work within the Rail system department and Christophe Cheron for his staunch support as chairman of the Research Coordination Group (RCG). The next RSF Plenary Session will take place on 30 October 2012 at UIC.

Over 160 people are expected to attend the 2nd High Speed Interaction Workshop on the maintenance of high speed rail systems, due to be held in Taipei from 18 – 20 April in parallel with the 13th UIC Asian Regional Assembly and the 3rd Technical Directors’ meeting. The participants will come from France, Spain, Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Vietnam and the Philippines, among others, and will comprise UIC members, industry partners, international financial providers and other associations involved in the coordination of the global intermodal transport network. The programme and online registration form are still available at:

http://uic.org/spip.php?article2866

From 19 – 23 March, the 1st Level 2 Training Session on High Speed Systems was held in Spain. The seminar was jointly organised by UIC and the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE) with the close cooperation of Adif and Renfe Operadora.

This second level of training – an extension of the Training on High Speed Systems (THSS) that UIC has organised every year since 2004 – is focusing on more in-depth and specific elements of high speed systems, with a particular emphasis on fundamental issues in planning the system (route definition, station and the city, demand forecast, standards, design, operation management etc.).

The theoretical sessions were followed by the analysis and discussion of a hypothetical case study through group work. These sessions and case study were combined with site visits to a number of Spain’s high speed rail depots. The participants had the opportunity to gain real insight into high speed systems thanks to the technical visits to stations, train maintenance workshop, traffic control centres, technical research centre etc. located in Madrid, Zaragoza, and Malaga, courtesy of Adif and Renfe Operadora.

The 1st Level 2 edition involved 18 participants from 8 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and UK) and 10 lecturers.

On 23 March, Mr Abderrahmène Gamha was appointed as the new President and CEO of Tunisian Railways (SNCFT). Mr Gamha is a graduate of Tunis’ National School of Engineering (Ecole Nationale des Ingénieurs de Tunis). Before taking up his current role Mr Gamha held several positions within SNCFT, notably at the head of Tunis’ Freight and Suburban Business Unit. UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux and the UIC Board of Directors congratulate Mr Gamha on his recent appointment.

(Source: SNCFT)

On 6 February 2012 Mr Chung, Chang-Young was appointed the new CEO & President of Korail and also Chairman of the UIC Regional Assembly for Asia, succeeding Mr Huh Joon Young. Mr Chung, Chang-Young previously held the position of Secretary General of the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea. UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux and the UIC Board of Directors congratulate Mr Chung, Chang-Young on his recent appointment.

(Source: Korail)