The study, undertaken by consultants CE Delft, INFRAS and ISI for the UIC, found that per passenger-km, the external costs of cars or aviation are about four times those of rail transport, with a similar pattern for freight transport. Road transport is responsible for the overwhelming share of total external costs with a share of 93%. Passenger cars have a share of about 62%, followed by trucks (14%), vans (9%), motorcycles (5%) and buses (4%). From the non-road modes, passenger aviation (internal -European flights only) has the largest share in external costs with about 4%. Rail transport is responsible for less than 2% for both passenger and freight transport. Inland waterways (freight) only 0.3%. In total about 76% of the costs are caused by passenger transport and 24% by freight (see graph hereafter).

The total external cost of transport in the EU-27 (without Malta and Cyprus, but including Norway and Switzerland) amounted to more than €500 billion (2008 figures) - about 4% of total GDP. If congestion costs are included, this amounts to an additional 0.9%-1.9%, bringing the total impact of externalities to between 5% and 6% of GDP.

The external costs approach works by deciding on a monetary value for each impact (noise, CO₂, air pollution, accidents, etc) and then calculating the total impact for each mode. The total and average cost estimates provide a strong basis for comparing the environmental burden of various transport modes and can also be used for general policy development by the Commission and by member states. Another application could be in cost benefit analysis for transport infrastructure projects, and the results of the study can also be used as a basis for transport pricing strategies.

These results come at a crucial time in the European transport policy debate. The better use of price signals through the internalisation of external costs was one of the main planks of the 2011 EU White Paper on Transport. The latest revision of the Eurovignette Directive, completed in 2011, also now allows Member States to calculate tolls for road freight that includes charges for air pollution and noise.

UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said “This landmark report is yet another clear indication of the benefits of the rail sector in environmental, social and economic terms. It shows that rail has a key role to play in the development of a green economy”.

CER Director-General Libor Lochman said “These new figures underline the costs involved that society currently has to bear rather than individual users. We therefore hope that the Commission will push ahead with plans to further internalise external costs that would produce fairer competition between the different modes of transport, and create the conditions for modal shift in favour of the less polluting modes.”

The Average External Costs

Total costs divided by traffic volumes indicate the average costs for each transport mode. It allows for an intermodal comparison, calculating the costs that could be avoided by means of shifting from one mode to another one with less external impact. When considering the charts below it becomes clear that average external costs for road transport are more than four times higher than rail for passenger and more than six times higher for freight services (excluding congestion).

The Rio+20 Earth Summit will be a milestone in the ongoing international efforts to implement sustainable development. The UIC Sustainability Unit has been engaged with the United Nations in its preparations for Rio+20 for over a year, and has developed a programme of activities at the actual Earth Summit with support and comments from members of the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Platform and associated working groups.

UIC and partner organisations have developed a strong set of activities for Rio+20, organised around the theme “Sustainable Transport in the Cities of the Future”.

For more information visit the UIC web site: http://www.uic.org/spip.php?article2872

If your company is planning to have representation in Rio, please contact us as soon as possible to arrange coordination and to take part in the UIC events.

Event 1: Side Event - Sustainable Transport in the Cities of the Future

Date/Time: Friday 15 June, 1330 – 1500 Venue: RioCentro, Room T-5

This event will look at the sustainability challenges facing urban areas today and in the future, and how sustainable transport can meet these challenges. The keynote speaker is the President of FeTranspor (the Federation of Passenger Transport Companies of the State of Rio de Janeiro) and other speakers include UIC, UITP, UNIFE, the Japan International Transport Institute, and Holger Dolkmann, Director, EMBARQ/WRI. Online registration (note – this event is in the secure conference zone and you must be registered for the Rio+20 conference to attend): http://www.uic.org/forms/spip.php?article1393

Event 2: Half-Day Workshop - Sustainable Transport in the Cities of the Future

Date/Time: Tuesday 19 June 0900 – 1400 Venue: FeTranspor, Rua da Assembléia, 10, Centro – Rio de Janeiro

This half-day workshop is intended for transport professionals, national government and UN officials, journalists and other stakeholders, to showcase ways in which transport can contribute to a green economy. Keynote speakers are the President of FeTranspor, the President of Brazilian railway association EDLP, and a high-level speaker from the United Nations (invited). Online registration (this event is open to all): http://www.uic.org/forms/spip.php?article1394

Event 3: Evening Reception: Sustainable Transport in the Cities of the Future

Date/Time: Tuesday 19 June, 1900 – 2200 Venue: Pestana Rio Atlântica Hotel. Av. Atlântica, 2964 Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

UIC, UNIFE, UITP and the SLOCAT Partnership invite you to a high-level evening cocktail reception for diplomats, UN officials, national government representatives, transport professionals and the media. The event will celebrate the many different Voluntary Commitments that have been developed by the sustainable transport sector, coordinated by the SLOCAT partnership. Short remarks by the hosts will be followed by a speech from the very special Guest of Honour, then plenty of time for networking with colleagues.

Online registration (this event is open to all – limited places): http://www.uic.org/forms/spip.php?article1395

In addition, UIC will be speaking at a side event on 14 June on financing railway projects, and at a separate workshop on electric mobility organised by the UN on 18 June as well.

How to improve energy efficiency when dealing with non-traction energy consumption? On average the energy related to non-traction issues accounts for 15% of overall consumption. Nevertheless the saving potential linked to this field has still not been thoroughly investigated. Following the Study on Non-Traction Energy Consumption and related CO₂ emissions from the European railway sector, UIC is organising a one-day workshop to present the results of this study together with a comprehensive view of the main activities within this field.

It provides an overview of the composition of non-traction energy consumption, the state-of-the-art legislation, key performance indicators, innovative solutions and good practice from members in the field of non-traction energy. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the course of action and next steps to further improve your energy efficiency!

Date and venue: 19 June 2012, 9.30 – 16.30, at UIC in Paris, France

Who should participate? Technical experts from all UIC members working with optimising energy efficiency of daily operations, upgrade and overhaul of:

• Stations and concessions
• Workshops, depots and service buildings
• Heating of switches
• Lighting of infrastructure, signalling, telecom, traffic control and data centres
• Administration and offices

Why you should participate – workshop themes:

• Exchange of good practice, new innovations and latest technologies
• Conclusions from the recent UIC study on non-traction energy
• Pre-benchmarking and state-of-the-art indicators for non-traction
• Knowledge exchange sessions on “stations and workshops” and “technical railway operations”
• Networking and professional discussions

Registration and more information

Please register by 10 June at: http://www.uic.org/spip.php?article2952

The preliminary agenda is available at the same link.

The fourteenth run of EuropeTrain started on 28 May 2012 for the fourth and last run of the French Loop, with a passage through the Netherlands and Belgium and a short trip to Luxembourg.

The “Europe Train” test train, which has been travelling across Europe since December 2010 to test low-noise brakes – equipped with composite “LL” brake blocks” – before it goes into series production to retrofit the existing European freight wagon fleet, is currently on its fourteenth run through France and Luxembourg. The previous run took place in Germany’s Rhine Valley earlier this month.

“Europe Train” is a project managed by UIC on behalf of the international railway community. To date, 29 railway companies, four industry suppliers and the sector organisations UIC, CER and EIM have signed the resolution for the preparation of “Europe Train”. This UIC project is managed by Mr Johannes Gräber from Deutsche Bahn.

Following the journey from Minden to Bad Bentheim, the train will pass through Utrecht in the Netherlands and will enter Belgium later today. After that, the train will cross the French border at Quévy tonight on its way to Le Bourget. During the French Loop the train is scheduled to travel several times from its temporary home base in Paris Le Bourget to Lyon (9x), to Metz (1x) and to Marseille (1x). The return, this time via Thionville to Luxembourg for a local press event on 12 June 2012, will again take the train via Belgium and the Netherlands to Minden. The return is planned for mid-June.

For more information please visit the EuropeTrain website: http://EuropeTrain.uic.org

UIC is organising the 3rd Global Rail Freight Conference (GRFC) in close collaboration with Moroccan National Railways (ONCF). This international conference will be held in Tangier, Morocco, from 17 – 19 October 2012, under the high patronage of the Authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco.

This conference follows the two previous editions successfully held in Delhi (2007) with Indian Railways and in St Petersburg (2010), in collaboration with Russian Railways (RZD) and participants from 40 countries.

The central theme of this 3rd conference will be “Railway transport – what role does it play in the development of global logistics?” The integration of rail freight in global logistics systems has become a major focus of development for railway companies. The strategic objectives consist in optimising rail’s role in the multimodal transport chain and services and developing valuable synergies with shipping companies, ports, intermodal operators, freight customers and all stakeholders in the global logistics system. The conference is aimed first and foremost at the representatives of these sectors as well as those of institutions involved in the development of transport systems (governments, international organisations, financial institutions, etc.).

Among the presentations and exchange of experiences involving high-level speakers, the focus will be on the following topics: intermodality, multimodal partnerships, international freight corridors, the advantages of Morocco and the Mediterranean region as an international platform for logistics services, and optimising the supply chain through the introduction of new technologies.

The conference will be complemented by an exhibition enabling the main stakeholders in the freight and logistics sector to introduce themselves to the participants from across the globe.

Among the speakers, mention should be made of Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director-General of UIC, Mohammed Rabie Khlie, Chief Executive of Moroccan Railways (ONCF) as well as Chairman of the UIC African Region, Marc Juhel, Transport Division Manager at the World Bank, Jean-Louis Guigou, CEO of IPEMED, Hans-Georg Werner, Member of the Board of DB Schenker Rail, Ferdinand Schmidt, CEO of ÖBB Produktion and Chairman of the UIC Freight Forum, and Jean-Michel Genestier, Deputy Director-General of SNCF Geodis, etc.

As announced recently, the UIC Regional Assembly for Africa is currently organising a seminar on Safety Management and Human Factors.

The seminar will be held from 5 – 6 June 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia, at the kind invitation of Tunisian Railways (SNCFT).

On 5 and 6 June, experts from ONCF (Morocco), SNTF (Algeria), SNCFT (Tunisia), SETRAG (Gabon), Infrabel (Belgium), SNCF (France), ENR (Egypt) and SNIM (Mauritania) as well as experts from UIC will present their experience in safety management. They will also focus on Human Factors and Safety with specific emphasis on stress management.

Around 80 participants from different countries are expected to attend this event. The seminar will also be attended by representatives from the supply industry as well as members of the EuroMed Regional Transport Project. A round table will be held at the end of each session to define the future areas of work in safety matters referring to UIC-Africa vision 2025.

You still have time to register so please complete the form available on the UIC website:

http://www.uic.org/forms/spip.php?article1392

UIC and Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) are hosting the 4th edition of the International Level Crossing Awareness Day in Paris this year. The event will be an opportunity for the 42 participating countries to remind the public of the rules for the safe use of level crossings and to fight together against risky behaviour.

Addressing risky behaviour

98% of accidents at level crossings in France occur due to failure to respect the highway code and in particular due to excessive speed when approaching level crossings, roads with severe bends or risky road behaviour. In France, RFF records one collision every three days between a road user and a train at level crossings, but fortunately has noted a slowdown in the number of fatalities at level crossings over the last decade (around 30 deaths a year). In addition to removing the level crossings with the highest accident risk probability, RFF has been leading campaigns over the last few years on information, prevention and sanction with those involved (prefectures, road safety organisations, SNCF, local authorities, townships, police, gendarmerie).

Launch of operations aimed at prevention on a global scale

On 7 June, an international conference will take place from 16.00 to 17.15 at RFF. Hubert du Mesnil, President of RFF and Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director-General of UIC as well as international rail and road stakeholders, behavioural experts and those involved in prevention, will participate in this official kick-off that will be broadcast live around the world.

You may watch it in streaming: http://www.securite-passageaniveau.fr/

A press conference will be held prior to this event.

You can find more information on the International Level Crossing Awareness Day at: www.ilcad.org

The first session of SIAFI 2012, which took place at UIC headquarters, Paris from 21 – 25 May, was attended by managers of 9 different nationalities from 12 railway companies, thus covering virtually all sectors of railway activity. The varied backgrounds and competences of the audience, together with the experience of participants, favoured rich and fruitful exchanges, debates and discussion.

Throughout the week, the attendees took part in extensive networking activities and exchange of information and practices either during plenary sessions, workshops, technical visit (a maintenance workshop for high speed trains) or the social programme.

The week was partly dedicated to presentations and discussions around topical subjects for the railways (the future of rail passenger and the main course of action, the Sustainability Strategy 2030 & beyond, external costs of transport,...), partly dedicated to team work.

The first week was also the occasion to get acquainted with the international institutional and legal framework in which railway companies currently operate. The first day of SIAFI brought together some major international railway stakeholders and partners – UIC, UNECE, CER, UNIFE and ERA in a round table discussion about their respective missions and vision for the future of rail.

On the second day participants became acquainted with the latest developments in international rail transport law and recent developments in EU transport policy.

Other railway activities (high speed, international corridors, freight, safety...) will be covered during the second SIAFI session in autumn to be held 22 – 26 October 2012.

The networking activities and cross-cultural learning experience through the team work conducted throughout the week concluded with a formal half-day session on the intercultural dimension in the management of international projects. Reflection on cross-cultural cooperation is part of the team project’s assignment and will result in a feedback session in October.

The projects eventually selected by participants were chosen from the list of selected UIC projects for SIAFI 2012: (1) Energy costs – cutting energy consumption to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your business (2) Talent wars: recruiting and retaining top young talent in Railway Business (3) Suggestions for improving customer orientation and strengthening customer focus for high speed and conventional passenger service

The teams will continue working between the two sessions and the results will be delivered at the second SIAFI session, in autumn (22 – 26 October 2012).

ESRI, its Partners and UIC invite you to participate in the third International Rail GIS Summit to be held from 13 – 14 June 2012 at UIC Headquarters in Paris. This free two-day meeting will bring together professionals who use GIS for rail infrastructure planning, construction and maintenance, property acquisition and management, safety and security and many other aspects of rail system operations. Learn how your peers use GIS technology in their operations to optimise the use of rail information and make better decisions.

To register please click on the following link:

http://www.esri.com/landing-pages/industries/rail/gis-summit.html

The topics and railway presenters for this year’s summit will be available soon at the same link.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending 39 million euros to finance the purchase of new rolling stock and implementation of infrastructure improvements for the light regional railway line connecting the south-western parts of Warsaw with neighbouring communes and smaller municipalities. This railway modernisation will have positive impacts on transport safety and passenger comfort. It will help to increase the mobility of the people employed in the Polish capital and so increase their quality of life and the competitiveness of the whole region.

The EIB loan will support the purchase of fourteen new Electrical Multiple Units, each with a maximum capacity of 500 passengers, of which 120 may be seated. The project also covers various infrastructure improvements required for the new rolling stock to be used efficiently, i.e. track improvements, upgrading of the power supply, an improved passenger information and monitoring system, and the installation of a fibre optic cable. The new rolling stock will almost entirely replace the existing fleet and the improvements will enable transport capacity to be increased by some 17% thanks to the higher speeds and reduced maintenance requirements of the new trains.

In the past the Bank has provided finance for several projects to develop the infrastructure of the Mazovia region (the construction of two sections of the Warsaw motorway ring-road, modernisation of the rolling stock of Mazovian Railways and the modernisation and extension of the Warsaw tram network. The EIB has also supported the financing of smaller projects involving infrastructure improvements in the fields of transport, education, research, development and innovation dissemination and the rehabilitation of regional infrastructure and community facilities. In addition, the Bank is expected to co-finance the construction of Warsaw’s new metro line.

(Source: EIB)

On 2 March 2012, Line 36N between Brussels and Louvain (28 km section) became the first conventional railway line of the Belgian network to be equipped with ETCS (European Train Control System). On this occasion, the CEOs of Infrabel (Belgian rail infrastructure manager) and SNCB – Luc Lallemand and Marc Descheemaecker respectively – together with Belgian federal Minister of Public Enterprises Paul Magnette, and a large number of guests and media representatives, took part in the inaugural journey onboard a Desirio trainset equipped with ETCS.

Prior to this date, ETCS was in service on the high speed lines from Liège to the German border and from Antwerp to the Dutch border.

(Source: Connect, Infrabel)

Infrabel, the Belgian railway infrastructure manager, has done extensive work to improve access to the existing Brussels Airport station by train.

When this Diabolo project is completed, Brussels Airport will have one of the world’s best airport railway services.

Diabolo links Brussels Airport to the major arteries of the Belgian railway network as well as several European cities via the international routes between Frankfurt-Liège-Brussels-Paris and Amsterdam-Antwerp-Brussels-Paris. Following completion of the Belgian high speed network in 2009, the Diabolo project will further enhance Belgium’s position at the centre of the European network.

The official opening of the Diabolo railway complex will take place on 7 June 2012 in Brussels, and will be attended by his Majesty King Albert II.

(Source: Infrabel)

On 16 May SNCF President Mr Guillaume Pepy, together with the President of the national museum and public establishment of Versailles Palace Mrs Catherine Pégard, inaugurated the first RER C train (part of the SNCF suburban train network) in the colours of the Château de Versailles.

As part of a unique partnership between SNCF and the national estate of Versailles, the train has been decorated from top to bottom with images of Versailles Palace and its gardens. This undertaking will benefit the many commuters in the Ile de France region who take the RER C on a daily basis, as well as the large number of tourists from across the world who visit Paris’ main attractions and the Sun King’s palace. Four other trainsets are to be decorated in similar designs by the end of this year.

(Source: SNCF)

SBB’s management board has decided to invest 606 million Swiss francs in the coming years to upgrade and renew its infrastructure fleet. The fleet is now 33 years old and no longer meets current technological, environmental and safety standards. By replacing the old ballast and transport wagons as well as shunting locomotives and track works vehicles, SBB will be able to increase its productivity and reduce the CO2 emissions of its infrastructure fleet by almost 80% a year from 2018 – that is 9500 tonnes a year. 1750 vehicles are set to be replaced.

(Source: SBB)