In less than 3 months, from 17 – 19 October 2012, all the main players involved in rail freight and logistics systems around the world will meet in Tangier, Morocco, for the 3rd UIC Global Rail Freight Conference (GRFC).

This conference is jointly organised by UIC and the Moroccan State Railways (ONCF) under the High Patronage of the Authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco, and in partnership with a number of institutions and associations including the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the International Container Bureau (BIC), etc.

The city of Tangier, a location with rapidly expanding activities as an international industrial and transport hub – at the crossroads between Europe, the Maghreb and Africa, and more generally the entire Mediterranean region – is going to welcome professionals and decision-makers who will debate the conference theme “Rail Freight – What Role in the Evolution of Global Logistics?” This conference will follow the 2nd edition successfully held in Saint-Petersburg in July 2010 in the presence of over 400 participants from 40 countries.

Debates at GRFC round tables and plenary sessions will address the latest developments and perspectives on a number of important issues such as:

• Intermodality, multimodal partnerships (between rail, ports, shipping lines, industries…)
• Development of international, intercontinental rail freight corridors, land bridges
• Optimising the global logistics chain through new technologies (transport management, information systems, safety and security…)
• The role of the Maghreb and the Mediterranean region as an important hub for transport and logistics systems at the crossroads between Europe, Maghreb and Africa, and the Middle-East

Confirmed high-level speakers at the 3rd UIC/ONCF Global Rail Freight Conference include:

• HE Mr Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Equipment and Transport;
• HE Mr Abdelkader Aâmara, Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies of the Kingdom of Morocco;
• Mohammed Rabie Khlie, Director-General of Moroccan Railways (ONCF) as well as Chairman of the UIC African Region;
• Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director-General of the International Union of Railways (UIC);
• Marc Juhel, Transport Division Manager at the World Bank in Washington;
• Jean-Louis Guigou, Director-General of IPEMED;
• Alexander Saltanov, Vice-President of JSC Russian Railways (RZD);
• Ferdinand Schmidt, CEO of ÖBB Produktion, Austria and Chairman of the UIC Freight Forum;
• Jean-Michel Genestier, Deputy Director-General of SNCF Geodis;
• Gaozhang Zhu, Director of Compliance and Facilitation at the World Customs Organization (WCO);
• Pierre Enderlé, President of the Board of STVA;
• Alessandro Ricci, Chairman of Unione Interporti Riuniti, Italy;
• Armand Toubol, New Opera;
• Mr Bao Qifan, Port of Shanghai;
• Michel Hennemand, Chairman of “Bureau International des Containers et du transport Intermodal”(BIC);
• Moha Khaddour, ONCF, UIC Security Platform.

The 3rd UIC/ONCF Global Rail Freight Conference will also provide an opportunity for exhibitors and sponsors to present their products and achievements in the frame of the GRFC Exhibition (with standard booth or specific booth) and the conference sessions.

A programme of technical visits in the Tangier area will be confirmed very soon.

Save the date and register now! Information and registration via the 3rd GRFC website:

http://grfc.uic.org

Hop on to the future!

There is a transformation underway in the way that passengers buy tickets to travel on Europe’s railways. The industry is moving away from its traditional bespoke ticketing methods and adopting processes and technologies developed by other carriers and industries. This move is a response to the need to reduce distribution costs and meet customers’ changing service expectations.

Why this workshop?

Railways are introducing useful innovations such as print-at-home and mobile tickets, smartcards and e-tickets in response to their local needs and conditions. There is currently no common industry direction or industry-wide business case, such as developed for the airline industry.

Why should I attend?

The UIC e-ticketing conference is an opportunity for the industry to share thinking and discuss options for the development of rail ticketing in Europe:

• Showcases ticketing innovations and unpicks the investment case
• Explains anticipated European regulatory changes affecting the industry
• Stimulates debate about the need for further cross-industry harmonisation
• Examines the growing case for integrated, multi-modal ticketing across urban boundaries
• Considers the challenges for e-ticketing providers and distribution partners

Participation is in principle open to any interested party. Registration is required before the deadline: 28/09/2012

Participation is free of charge for delegates from financing project members. Delegates from other parties or the supply industry will be charged 350 EUR. This fee includes participation in all sessions on both days, refreshments according to the programme, drinks reception and dinner on 24 October and the conference documentation in electronic format (PDF).

For further information on the workshop and to register for this workshop: http://www.uic.org/IMG/pdf/12hn-p_e...

Air Transat and VIA Rail Canada announced last week that they have formed an intermodal partnership, enabling Canadians to take advantage of both rail and air services when travelling between their home, the airport and their holiday destination.

As a result, Air Transat and VIA Rail have streamlined their service schedules to encourage the purchasing of tickets combining both modes of transportation. Customers are invited to book both their international flight as well as their train ticket (connecting them to the airport) online, quickly and easily. To facilitate the shopping process, a dedicated page has been created on Air Transat’s website (www.airtransat.ca) under the car rental and train travel booking section.

This agreement is the latest in a series of measures taken by VIA Rail to modernise Canadian passenger rail. In the last two years, VIA Rail has entered into numerous intermodal partnerships.

“This announcement is in line with VIA Rail’s strategy of creating synergy among carriers in order to enhance the client experience and facilitate intermodal travel”, said Marc Laliberté, VIA Rail’s President and CEO. “Today’s announcement is driven by our ongoing effort to improve our services. This strategy demonstrates that by working together, passenger carriers can increase the mobility of all Canadians while increasing the number of passengers for all methods of transport.”

About VIA Rail’s intermodal partnerships

Over the course of the last two years, VIA Rail has implemented a strategy involving the creation of intermodal synergies aimed at improving the interconnectivity with other passenger carriers across the country. To date, this strategy has led to partnerships with major urban transportation companies in Montréal and Toronto (Agence métropolitaine de transport in Montreal and GO Transit in Toronto), and three motor coach transportation companies operating in Western Canada, the City of Toronto, and the Maritimes region. VIA has also signed an agreement with Amtrak, a company that specialises in train services in the US, for travel between Toronto and New York.

(Source: VIA Rail)

On 25 July Amtrak released a Master Plan that offers a visionary and practical approach to revitalise the terminal at Washington Union Station. Developed in coordination with other stakeholders including U.S. Department of Transportation, Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia Railway Express, Maryland Transit Administration, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Akridge, it lays the groundwork for an expanded and greatly improved intermodal station that will increase capacity to accommodate future service expansion, deliver the highest quality passenger experience and provide robust support to local and regional economic growth. The Master Plan envisions dramatically improved facilities that are modern, safe, and secure which will accommodate three times as many passengers and twice as many trains, all within the same footprint and preserving Union Station’s historic architectural design.

“Washington Union Station is an integral part of the Northeast transportation network, facing urgent capacity issues and a need to expand to support increasing ridership growth across all services,” said Amtrak President & CEO Joe Boardman. “This plan will transform the station into a world-class transportation hub to serve the region and the mobility needs of generations of passengers yet to come.”

“Today’s plan ensures that Union Station will continue to serve as the gateway to our nation’s Capital, providing growing numbers of passengers with even greater transportation options,” said Deputy Secretary of Transportation and USRC Chairman John Porcari. “The Department of Transportation is committed to Union Station’s future, both as an important part of the local economy and of the President’s vision for a revitalised Northeast Corridor.”

The heart of the plan is the creation of a new train shed that will welcome passengers to the nation’s capital, bring natural light to station spaces and better organise the connections to Amtrak, commuter rail, transit and other transportation services. New passenger concourses, along with a series of new street entrances, will be seamlessly integrated with the existing station, enabling passengers and visitors to easily access the entire station complex and adjoining neighbourhoods while experiencing improved amenities and expanded retail opportunities.

The estimated cost for the Master Plan is between $6.5 and $7.5 billion ($2012). In addition to creating a world-class facility with ample capacity for future high-speed, intercity and commuter rail service growth, these investment levels would generate enormous benefits to the city and region through job creation, increased tax revenues, and enhanced economic development. It will also help to create significant public spaces that can be enjoyed for decades and bring together the adjoining neighbourhoods that are now cut-off from one another.

Importantly, the plan also makes possible the accommodation of tracks, platforms and concourses to support a new Next Generation High-Speed Rail (NextGen HSR) concourse below the existing station platforms to keep pace with the growth projections and plans outlined in the recently released The Amtrak Vision for the Northeast Corridor: 2012 Update Report. This future lower-level concourse could allow for a potential NextGen HSR extension south of Washington to connect with the proposed Southeast HSR Corridor.

The Master Plan creates a framework for progressive capital investment with a phased construction approach to be accomplished incrementally over 15 to 20 years, providing numerous local, regional and national benefits, and creating an improved station that will benefit millions of rail passengers, transit riders, area workers and residents, tourists and the public. It is estimated to generate a total of $14.3 billion ($2012) in regional economic benefit through direct construction expenditures and other related economic impacts.

In addition, the Master Plan includes a public-private partnership to build three million square feet of mixed-use development for Burnham Place, which is envisioned as a major commercial, retail and residential centre. Since purchasing the air rights over the Union Station rail yard in 2006, Akridge has worked in close partnership with Amtrak and USRC for nearly four years on planning and design of the project. “This project will be transformative for the entire Washington region,” said Akridge Chairman Chip Akridge. “It will touch residents and visitors alike by creating an iconic transportation hub that integrates housing, offices and neighbourhood shopping. Akridge is proud to be part of the Amtrak plan and looks forward to making this vision a reality.”

About Washington Union Station

Washington Union Station was designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907. The station is the second busiest in the Amtrak system, serving providing service to the Northeast Corridor via Acela Express and Northeast Regional Service and eight Amtrak long-distance and regional trains. In addition, it serves as the anchor for MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter service, and provides connections to Metro transit and multiple bus services along with access to two bicycle facilities. The station will soon provide service to the DC Streetcar line that is currently under construction. Today, the station is currently operating beyond its capacity, serving 100,000 passenger trips and 200 trains per day.

(Source: Amtrak)

CD has begun testing a prototype of a modernised accessible carriage for long-distance transport. It will offer disabled and able-bodied passengers alike a new boarding platform or new modern tables. Already this year, the first of this carriage series will be put into regular operation on lines from Prague via Brno to Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, from Prague via Olomouc to Ostrava, Zilina and Warsaw, and from Prague to Munich.

A total of 64 carriages are slated for modernisation, and will be put into operation gradually from this autumn until 2014. The overall cost of the modernisations will reach CZK 1.5 billion (EUR 50 million), and the carriages will be put into operation on all types of long-distance connections starting with EuroCity trains and followed by express trains and inland fast trains.

CD is removing barriers

In recent years, CD has introduced many accessible trains. These include low-platform regional trains as well as carriages equipped with a boarding platform or otherwise modified to accommodate passengers using wheelchairs. At present, CD operates almost 500 accessible carriages and trains, and offers accessible travel on more than 3,000 long-distance and regional connections.

(Source: CD)

The Jungfrau railway, a true engineering feat, was inaugurated in 1912. It is one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps and attracts 700,000 visitors a year. The railway line connects Kleine Scheidegg railway station to Jungfraujoch by a cog railway tunnel. This legendary line, located in the canton of Bern, celebrates its 100 years in 2012.

The route, which is just over 9 kilometres, takes you up 1,393 metres in altitude from the station at Kleine Scheidegg, cuts through the Eiger and the Mönch, and offers fantastic views before stopping at Jungfraujoch. At 3,454 metres above sea-level, it is the highest railway station in Europe. At the end of the 19th century, the construction of the railway was merely a dream envisaged by Adolf Guyer-Zeller, an entrepreneur from Zurich. Thanks to his perseverance, it became a reality. After much work, the boring of the tunnel was finally completed at the beginning of 1912, and on 1 August of the same year, the cogwheel railway began operating.

Over the last one hundred years, the Jungfrau railway has made a name for itself across the globe. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists are comfortably transported to the Jungfraujoch, a pleasure that was hitherto reserved for experienced mountain climbers.

For further information please visit: http://www.jungfrautours.ch

(Source: http://www.jungfrautours.ch)