UIC eNews

Driving harmonised railway safety: HARMO COSMERA and the UIC Latin America Safety Taskforce hold their second risk assessment workshop

2026-04-17T07:36:15Z

UIC recently organised the second of two online workshops on risk assessments between the experts of the UIC Harmonised Risk Assessment Method for Safety (HARMO COSMERA) Project and the UIC Latin America Safety Taskforce, strengthening interregional cooperation in railway safety. The second session in the workshop series continued previous discussions from the HARMO COSMERA initiative with different UIC Regions on harmonised risk assessments.

The meeting took a transversal approach to how risk assessment is handled on both sides of the Atlantic. An overview of the risk assessment approach in Europe, which is based on the Common Safety Method (CSM), was provided by David de Bustos, from SGS, consultant for the HARMO COSMERA Project. This was followed by a presentation from Francisco Cabrera, UIC Project Manager, on the project itself. Then, the different perspectives in countries across Latin America were explained.

Risk assessment in Argentina, presented by Alejandro Leonetti, Argentine Railways (Ferrocarriles Argentinos)
Risk assessment in Chile, Raul Cepeda, Chilean State Railways (EFE)
Risk assessment in Mexico, presented by Ing Belen Cortes and Daniel Telles, Mexican Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transport
Risk assessment in Colombia, presented by Jairo Espejo, Lecturer at the Universidad Los Andes in Bogotá

The workshop concluded with a Q&A and general discussion, allowing the participants to share knowledge, compare experiences, and identify future opportunities for collaboration.

Through HARMO COSMERA, UIC is continuing to strengthen harmonisation and improve railway safety across Latin America and beyond, thereby focusing on central topics for the railway community around the world.

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

Sharing rail's response to the Iberian power outage – Impact on Rail Operations Webinar

2025-10-02T14:11:39Z

It is not every day that an entire country is left without power for almost 24 hours. Yet, on 28 April 2025, the Iberian Peninsula experienced a large-scale power outage, presenting an unprecedented challenge to citizens' mobility and railway operations.

To integrate the lessons learned from this extraordinary event, on 25 September 2025, the International Union of Railways (UIC) hosted a webinar titled “Sharing Railway Response to the Iberian Power Outage – Impact on Rail Operations”. The event brought together over 90 participants from around the world, underlining the international railway community's interest in understanding and sharing resilience practices and crisis management experiences.

The programme featured presentations from representatives from the Spanish Railway Infrastructure Manager (ADIF), Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE), Infraestruturas de Portugal, Trains of Portugal (CP), Euskotren, and Catalan Government Railways (FGC). They shared how they managed the crisis, mitigated its impact on passengers, and ensured the continuity of railway operations. Additionally, Laura Petersen (UIC Security Department) shared how the UIC Security Platform Crisis Management Working Group is addressing business continuity, and presented relevant resources, such as the UIC Crisis Management Guidelines, available for free on the UIC shop here.

The session was organised and moderated by Paco Cabrera (UIC Operations and Safety Department) and Vanessa Pérez (UIC Passenger Department). Alberto García, an internationally renowned railway expert, acted as master of ceremonies, facilitating smooth conversations and interaction among the speakers, who were Rui Silva and Miguel Cruz (IP); Artur Cerejo and Rafael Mendes (CP); Hernán Jiménez (Euskotren); Gregorio Gámez Bartolomé (FGC); Angel García de la Bandera, Carlos Freire Coloma, and Sergio Lozano Mirand (ADIF); Miguel Ángel García Piñero, Luz Belén Castaño Padilla, and Fernando Díez Rodríguez (RENFE).

To make the content accessible to a wider audience, the webinar was offered with simultaneous interpretation in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The discussions highlighted the railway system's resilience, built on a solid foundation of existing technical preparedness, while also underscoring the importance of human factors and the commendable performance of staff in the face of such an exceptional and extreme event. At the same time, the value of the lessons learned was emphasised, along with the need to reinforce certain protocols and actions to further strengthen the capacity to respond to large-scale disruptions, such as:

Communications: Ensuring robust, redundant, and reliable channels to maintain coordination during crises and prioritising essential functions that must be safeguarded under all circumstances.
Redundancy of data centres: Having backup systems in place to secure operations .
Established protocols with civil protection and other stakeholders: Predefined coordination mechanisms proved essential for efficient crisis response.
Contingency planning and drills: Conducting regular exercises and simulations to prove response capacity.
Maintaining essential services: Keeping core railway services operational to support citizens' mobility even under adverse conditions.
Human factors: Beyond technical readiness, the dedication and commitment of railway staff played a decisive role in managing the crisis.

This webinar represented a remarkable act of solidarity and cooperation: by sharing experiences and lessons learned, the railway sector has strengthened its resilience, preparedness, and capacity to respond to major disruptions.

The presentations are available on the UIC website: UIC Webinar – Sharing Railway Response to the Iberian Power Outage.

Listen to the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUdND40cgRlfNZdSzjMHPvY2TuurVVpbk

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

UIC in Brazil: Latin American rail on track for COP30

2025-07-01T15:34:00Z

From 2 to 5 June 2025, the International Union of Railways (UIC) arranged a technical visit to Brazil. The agenda covered events aimed at strengthening ties with railway authorities and companies, as well as fostering dialogue around the sustainable financing of low-carbon mobility. This visit forms part of the preparations for COP30, which will take place this November in Belém, Brazil.

One of the main highlights was the seminar “Thriving Economies: Financing Sustainable Transport for COP30”, co-organised with Brazil's National Association of Passenger Rail Operators (ANPTrilhos) and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). The event brought together government representatives, multilateral organisations, industry leaders, and financial experts, giving them a platform to discuss innovative climate finance mechanisms, including those under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. During the seminar, emphasis was placed on the strategic role of public and railway transport in the region's climate response, and a call to action was presented to be promoted at COP30.

That same afternoon, the UIC Latin America Regional Assembly (LARA) was held at the ANPTrilhos headquarters. Participants included ANPTrilhos, the Latin American Railway Association (ALAF), the Chilean State Railway Company (EFE), Argentinian State Railways (FASE), and Brazil's National Association of Railway Transport (ANTF). There, a presentation of the UIC 2026–2028 Work Programme was given. This programme focuses on climate action, technical standards, digitalisation, institutional strengthening, and international cooperation.

The region's financial results were also approved, with the progress made by various working groups on safety, asset management, and infrastructure maintenance being reviewed. Creating new thematic working groups – such as the LARA Freight Taskforce – was proposed, and the work with UITP was bolstered.
Throughout the week, the UIC team, led by Bertrand Minary and Vanessa Pérez, held meetings with key stakeholders from Brazil's rail sector, including Infra S.A., the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), the planned high-speed rail service (TAV), Trens Intercidades São Paulo (TIC), MRS Logística, and the National Association of Authorised Railways (ANFA). These exchanges helped identify technical cooperation opportunities in areas such as standardisation, digitalisation, and sustainability.

As part of the visit, a field trip was organised to the Port of Santos, the largest port complex in Latin America, in coordination with ANTF. The trip provided an opportunity to observe the integration of rail operations with port logistics first-hand, showcasing innovations aimed at optimising the supply chain. It also encouraged discussions on intermodality and sustainable strategies. This experience was instrumental in reinforcing the vision of a connected and efficient railway transport system, in line with regional challenges concerning international trade and logistics decarbonisation.

This visit reaffirms UIC's commitment to Latin America at a pivotal moment, as the organisation seeks to reposition rail as a driver for regional, climate, and economic transformation.

Next stop: COP30.

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

Save the date: UIC LARA webinar

2025-03-11T14:56:48Z

The UIC Latin American Regional Assembly (LARA) is pleased to invite railway security experts to participate in a Spanish-language webinar, with English interpretation, on: “Strategies to prevent metal theft and ensure railway security”, taking place online on Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Event schedule:

Paris time (CET): 4 pm – 6 pm

Metal theft poses a significant threat to railway infrastructure and operational security. This webinar will bring together experts to share effective strategies and best practices to address and mitigate this challenge.

Register here: https://evenium.events/uiclara-workshop-robometales

For more information, please visit: https://uic.org/events/webinar-estrategias-para-prevenir-el-robo-de-metales-y-garantizar-la-seguridad

This event represents a valuable opportunity to enhance your knowledge and collaborate on solutions that prioritise railway security. We look forward to your participation!

The UIC Latin American Regional Assembly (LARA) is pleased to invite railway security experts to participate in a Spanish-language webinar, with English interpretation, on: “Strategies to prevent metal theft and ensure railway security”, taking place online on Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Event schedule:

Paris time (CET): 4 pm – 6 pm

Register here: https://evenium.events/uiclara-workshop-robometales

For more information, please visit: https://uic.org/events/webinar-estrategias-para-prevenir-el-robo-de-metales-y-garantizar-la-seguridad

This event represents a valuable opportunity to enhance your knowledge and collaborate on solutions that prioritise railway security. We look forward to your participation!

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

The UIC Latin American Regional Assembly mid-term meeting 2024 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina

2024-06-10T16:54:39Z

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of José Villafañe General, Secretary of ALAF and Chairman of the LARA region, together with Joubert Flores, President of ANP TRILHOS, supported by Vanessa C. Perez Miranda and Bertrand Minary, the new UIC coordinator, supported by the region's former coordinator Marc Guigon.

The meeting was pleased to welcome PeruRail as a special guest.

The main topics discussed during the meeting were the Safety task force, the Security task force, the Sustainability platform, the Infrastructure group, the Standardisation policy of UIC, with the virtual attendance of its chairwoman Asako Togari and the development of vision 2030 for the region.

In this region a major trend is the revitalisation of old lines, with major projects in every country. Some spectacular examples were given by Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado - Grupo EFE (Chile), Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI) (Columbia) and Ferrocarriles Argentinos Sociedad del Estado (FASE, Argentina).

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

UIC visits Peru and Bolivia for the Latin America Regional Coordination meeting

2024-03-19T14:00:00Z

As part of the UIC Latin America Region's activities, in the first week of March 2024, an official visit to the various entities related to the railway development in Peru and Bolivia was held by Marc Guigon, Director of the UIC Passenger Department and Latin American Region (LARA) coordinator; Nicedolly Taborda, UIC representative in the region; and Vanessa Pérez Miranda, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and LARA Region.
As part of this visit, the UIC team had the opportunity to present UIC's activity to high-level representatives of the national Peruvian and Bolivian administrations.

In Peru, meetings were organised with Raul Pérez-Reyes, Minister of Transport and Communications and his team, as well as with Verónica Zambrano, President of Peru's public transport infrastructure regulator OSITRAN, and various CEOs from Peruvian railways such as PeruRail, Ferrocarril Central Andina, and Ferrocarril Transandino Los Andes-Mendoza.

In Bolivia, UIC organised meeting with important railway stakeholders, including Néstor Ríos Rivero, the Executive Director of the Telecommunications and Transportation Regulation and Supervision Authority (ATT), and the CEOs of Ferroviaria Andina and Ferroviaria Oriental.

Here, the parties shared information about the railways' current status in the region, to better understand the needs and challenges that different stakeholders are facing in developing their railway activity. UIC was able to clarify how it would be able to help develop the numerous projects already underway and ensure that their progress will be even more efficient and sustainable in the future.

This visit formed part of the UIC LARA Region's action plan to create a Vision 2050 for the area to foster the growth of rail in Latin America. International standards and disseminating knowledge are the two principal ways in which UIC and its international network of experts could support an increase in the number of railway projects in the region.

Furthermore, the region recently held a coordination meeting with representatives from the Columbian National Infrastructure Agency (ANI), the Argentinian State Railways (FASE) and Transport Safety Board (JST), and the Chilean State Railway Company (EFE).

In the meeting the members shared information on the first quarter's activity and prepared an action plan to be drawn up in more detailed in the months to come. The plan is based on regional working groups dedicated to different subjects, including the Safety Taskforce, the Asset Management Group, the new Narrow Gauge Working Group, a Security Experts Network. These were launched in recent months and were presented by UIC's Francisco Cabrera, Rosa Casquero, Paula Fernández, and Joo Hyun Ha. A discussion was also held on the gender balance at regional level.

The group will meet for the first Regional Assembly of the year in Buenos Aires, taking advantage of the fact that the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) congress will be there in June, hosted by JST in partnership with UIC.

For more information about ILCAD, please visit https://ilcad.org/

To find out more about the UIC Latin American Region, please visit https://uic.org/latin-america/.

For further information, please contact Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor, Passenger Department at perez at uic.org

First session held for the Lara Safety Task Force

2024-02-13T15:05:00Z

On 7 February 2024, the first working meeting of the Latin America Regional Assembly (LARA) safety working group was held by online.

During the meeting, Diego Di Siervi, Director of Railway Incident Investigation at Juanta de Seguridad del Transporte (JST) of Argentina, was approved as chair of the working group. Esther Mateo, Chair of the UIC Safety Platform and Director-General of Safety, Security, Processes, and Corporate Systems for the Spanish Infrastructure Manager ADIF, was also present at the meeting.

Next, the work topics agreed upon for 2024 were addressed, including railway staff training, and signals passed at danger (SPADs), which is also being dealt with by the UIC Safety Platform. The goal of these tasks is to harmonise and look for common criteria to enable certification and standardisation. As part of the meeting, the UIC Safety Unit also explained the process for recording accident data in the Safety Database, with the aim of have increased data input this year.

The working group will meet online on a monthly basis, until June 2024 at least, when a face-to-face meeting will be held in Buenos Aires. The group is working towards holding a webinar open to the entire railway community, especially for Latin America, on railway personnel training.

For more information about the Latin America Safety Taskforce please contact Francisco Cabrera at cabrera at uic.org

EFE inaugurates the fastest and most modern train in South America

2024-01-24T15:12:53Z

At 8:05 am on 19 January 2024, in the presence of the Minister Secretary General of the Government, Camila Vallejo, the Minister of Transport, Juan Carlos Muñoz and the president of EFE Trenes de Chile, Eric Martin, the inaugural journey of the new express service began. This service will connect Santiago and Curicó in two hours and will use new BMU trains.

The launch of this equipment is a milestone for EFE and for Chile, as it is first time in the country's history that a commercial railway has reached 160 km/h.

The express will operate from Sunday to Friday, with three services in each direction and a capacity of 236 seats. This is in addition to a further two services in each direction using standard equipment, which has a capacity of 180 seats. On Saturdays, there will be two express services in each direction and one standard service.

On the occasion, the Government spokesperson stated: “Trains for Chile do not only mean better connectivity and decentralisation, but also greater sustainability and better development. This inauguration of the first rapid train service should fill us with pride, because we are advancing towards greater development.”

Camila Vallejo added: “President Gabriel Boric has asked all the members of his government and all the country's authorities to work more intensely in 2024 to fulfil the commitments that we made to our compatriots. To be on the ground and in the streets, inaugurating the dreams we envisaged 1, 2 or even 3 years ago. To move forward and say that our country can advance, that our country can improve standards in all its regions, and that our country can take care of the challenges that remain.”

In turn, the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, said: “Chile is once again at the forefront of transport, with trains equal to those used in Europe and elsewhere around the world. We are taking concrete action to connect our cities and our regions. We are providing people with better ways to travel, to a high-quality standard, which will improve well-being and quality of life. Ensuring that our country has a wide train network is a transversal and historical desire that the government of President Gabriel Boric assumed as a commitment. We are making progress to fulfil that commitment, as we are demonstrating today.”

For his part, the president of EFE, Eric Martin, pointed out that: “We are experiencing a historic event, a great day to help celebrate our 140-year anniversary. Not only are we making a new service available to the public, we are setting a new standard and writing a new chapter in the history of the State Railways. We invite everyone to use this express service to Curicó and, in the future, to Chillán.”

Ticket sales are enabled on the EFE website and tickets for the express service are available at a promotional price of 10,900 Chilean pesos.

The new BMU trains arrived in Chile in March and June 2023, and have a range of modern features, including reclining seats (up to 170 degrees), universal accessibility, toilets adapted for persons with reduced mobility, a fully equipped cafeteria and information screens for users.

This express service will be extended to Talca in March and fully implemented to Chillán during the second quarter of 2024.

(Source: efe, Trenes de Chile)

Brazil's ambitious National Railway Plan

2023-12-20T11:18:00Z

The upcoming launch of Brazil's groundbreaking National Railway Plan underscores the country's commitment to transforming its transport system. This strategic endeavour seeks to foster sustainable development and bridge the rail finance gap.

Brazil is embarking on an ambitious effort through its National Railway Plan to use the transformative power of rail transport as a catalyser. Its vision is to increase rail's modal share from the current 17.7% to 34.6%, although the initiative goes beyond mere numerical targets. It embodies a resolute commitment to sustainable practices and seeks to fortify food security by establishing efficient grain export corridors.

The newly formed Secretariat of Railways in Brazil's strategy to double rail's modal share is based on governance via regulatory policies to attract private investment, a repository of high-quality projects, and a strategic financial blueprint. Its actions align with the Paris Agreement's energy transition goal, taking the four dimensions of sustainable infrastructure into account: social, economic, institutional, and environmental.

For the environmental dimension, amidst the global urgency regarding carbon emissions, Brazil has recognised rail transport's efficiency and minimal emissions. Railways significantly outperform other modes, in Brazil, it moves 17% of all freight on a tonne-kilometre basis while emitting less than 5% of CO2 emissions.

Evaluated through quantitative studies, the East-West Corridor project is an example of the significance of such a profound shift, as, when delivered, it will emerge as a beacon of sustainability. The World Bank's studies suggest that over 50 years, this rail corridor could prevent a staggering 65 million tons of CO2 being emitted by avoiding road use, marking a monumental step in reducing emissions and protecting the environment.

Moreover, Brazil is adapting its cost/benefit analysis for rail projects and substantially expanding its rail-focused funding. Bridging the financial gap in railway investments remains one of its most significant challenges. Recognising that private initiatives alone cannot suffice, Brazil will follow the global trend of channelling public investment to stimulate private sector participation, establishing mechanisms like the Viability Gap Fund (VGF). For the first time, specific initiatives have been introduced in the federal budget to allocate funds to rail projects through the VGF, marking a key step in rail infrastructure development.

The timing of these initiatives is particularly favourable for investors, as Brazil has positioned itself as the “world's supermarket”. The nation's recent achievement as the first global industrialised food exporter, with 64.7 million tons in 2022, surpassing the United States, underscores the abundant opportunities for investment in railways. These converging factors make it an opportune moment to invest in the country's rail infrastructure, with assured demand and a conducive environment for those with expertise in the railway sector.

Brazil's railway commitments are not only about transport but also about mitigating climate change by embracing sustainable principles and bridging the finance gap. Via a combination of public and private resources, the National Railway Plan epitomises Brazil's unwavering dedication to fostering a greener, more prosperous future.

Source: Leonardo Cezar Ribeiro – National Secretary for Rail Transport in Brazil

UIC launches Safety Task Force for Latin America

2023-12-01T10:14:00Z

We are thrilled to share a momentous occasion that unfolded on 28 November – a virtual gathering that marked the launch of the UIC Safety Platform for members in Latin America.

Leading the charge were esteemed figures in the railway industry: María Ester Mateo Rodríguez from ADIF and Chair of the UIC Safety Platform, Francisco Cabrera, Deputy Chief of Operations and Safety at UIC, and Isabelle Fonverne, UIC Senior Safety and Interoperability Advisor, all from the UIC Safety Platform. The session was enriched by the presence of Marc Guigon, UIC Coordinator for the region and Nicedolly Taborda, UIC Representative in Latin America.

Distinguished representatives from prominent railway companies, including EFE Trenes de Chile, the Transportation Safety Board (JST) of Argentina, Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FASE) and ALAF, also participated in the launch. Each participant had a moment to introduce themselves, fostering connections within our collaborative network.

The organisers explained the UIC team's role within the Operation & Safety Platform, providing insights into its key functions. Additionally, they introduced the permanent working groups associated with the platform, laying the groundwork for ongoing collaboration.

The themes of safety culture and objectives were at the forefront of discussions, together with reflections on governance and essential statutes for establishing a robust working group. This meeting, replicated globally by region, underscores the universal importance of the safety of our railways.

Through a survey conducted during the meeting, participants expressed their areas of interest, leading to an agreement to focus on five key themes: human factors, capabilities, workers, fatigue and fair, and safety culture. This event signifies the beginning of a collective effort in the region dedicated to safety, with the expectation that the group will present documents based on the results of their collaborative efforts.

Excitingly, during the meeting, there was a discussion about the possibility of hosting the Latin American Regional Assembly in June in Buenos Aires, to coincide with the ILCAD and TRESPAD safety launch conferences hosted by Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte (JST), scheduled from 5 to 7 June 2024 (visit www.ilcad.org for more information).

We appreciate the active participation of all involved and eagerly anticipate the continued progress of this regional collaboration in ensuring the safety and efficiency of our railways.

Together, let's forge a safer and more efficient future for railways in Latin America!

For further information on the activities of the UIC Latin American Region, please contact Marc Guigon guigon at uic.org

Last Latin American regional meeting held on 21 November 2023

2023-11-24T15:01:06Z

21 November 2023 marked an important milestone with the celebration of the International Union of Railways' (UIC's) Regional Assembly of Latin America (RAML), with distinguished UIC Latin American Region experts and representatives from each of its members, who are the leading railway organisations in the region, in attendance.

These included UIC Director-General François Davenne; the Passenger Director and Coordinator for the Latin American and Middle East regions, Marc Guigon; the Chair of the UIC Latin America Region and Secretary-General of the Latin American Railway Association (ALAF), José Villafañe; and Vice Chair of the UIC Latin America Region and Chair of ANPTrilhos, Joubert Flores.

Accompanying them were representatives from influential bodies such as EFE Trenes de Chile, ALAF, Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FASE), the Argentinian Rail Transport Safety Board (JST), and the National Infrastructure Agency of Colombia (ANI).

The agenda included discussions on crucial administrative matters, addressing governance issues, the upcoming international UIC activities, and the fundamental aspects of financing. Additionally, each member had the opportunity to introduce the projects their companies had undertaken within the UIC membership framework and to share progress in the development of topics of interest, in collaboration with UIC experts.

A crucial aspect of the meeting was the presentation of the 2024 outlook, where members proposed a variety of activities aimed at fostering development and excellence in the railway sector, such as conferences and participation in working groups on topics including security, safety, gender equality, and railway system maintenance.

ANI presented valuable content on the future of rail transport in Colombia, outlining an ambitious plan for the recovery of railway transport in the country, along with railway line expansion projects up to 2050. These would not only strengthen the nation's connectivity but also facilitate international integration with neighbouring countries. A key point in ANI's presentation was also their explanation of the Railway Law project. Emphasising the need for legislative updates, ANI discussed how the current law has been in effect for 100 years and that the new legislation proposal reflects Colombia's commitment to modernise and adapt to the railway industry's changing demands.

This meeting represents a significant step forward in promoting collaboration and expertise sharing in the Latin American railway industry. UIC and its members have reaffirmed their commitment to continued progress and excellence in the region.

For further information on the activities of the UIC Latin American Region, please contact Marc Guigon guigon at uic.org

Latin American Region celebrates their 2023 coordination meeting

2023-09-28T16:40:56Z

In accordance with the LARA Action Plan 2022-2023, a new coordination meeting for the Latin American Region was held on 12 September 2023. Members welcomed the major rail undertakings in Argentia to Ferrocarriles Argentimos Sociedad Estatal (FASE). FASE gave several presentations on their activities, particularly focusing on operations (where 75% of trains are freight transports), asset management, gender equality and CENADIF, the National Investigation Body of Accidents.

It was agreed that LARA would institute two new task forces, on security and safety, before the end of the year. FASE also expressed their interest in several topics that UIC is currently working on, including train-track interaction, infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance performance, composite sleepers (instead of concrete or wooden ones), and train pantograph-catenary interaction performance.

Regarding the importance of expanding the region via new members, Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE), Chile, joined UIC as a new member in 2022, and would now be part of some working groups. During the meeting UIC also detailed its participation in the 12th International Heavy Haul Association conference held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 27 to 31 August 2023. Participants were also reminded that the next ILCAD (International Level Crossing Awareness Day) would take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in June 2024.

The next meeting and the Regional Assembly will be held on 21 November 2023 via video conference. On this occasion, LARA members will review the steps taken in 2023 and plan further works for 2024.

For further information, please contact Francisco Cabrera, Deputy Head of Operations and Safety at cabrera at uic.org

12th International Heavy Haul Association conference held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 27 to 31 August 2023

2023-09-12T16:49:12Z

On 29 August, a meeting was held with Guillerme Mello, CEO of MRS Logística, providing the opportunity to discuss issues related to the structure of UIC, its platforms, forums and working groups, as well as current UIC standards.

MRS is a logistics operator that manages a 1,643-kilometre rail network in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, a region that accounts for nearly half of Brazil's GDP.

Today, the company is among the largest freight railroad companies in the world, with production almost four times higher than in the 1990s. Nearly 20% of Brazil's exports and a third of all freight transported by train in the country passes through MRS tracks.

On the afternoon of 30 August, after coordinating with the company INFRA, S.A., a meeting was held in one of the event rooms. The meeting was attended by Lilian Campos Soares (Superintendent of Market Intelligence), Alex Antonio Azevedo Cruz (Special Advisor to the Presidency), Alexander Muñoz López de Oliveira (Advisor) and Eduardo Sanches Faria (Superintendent of Special Projects).

During the exchange, the company INFRA, S.A. was very interested in passenger platforms, freight transportation, safety and sustainability; as well as in affiliation modality and the associated benefits, considering that they are a state-owned company.
This meeting lasted almost two hours and included a presentation of the company and a question-and-answer session on work methodology, accessibility to standards, participation in conferences and all those elements that will allow INFRA, S.A. to get the most out of a future affiliation.

INFRA, S.A. is a state-owned company resulting from the merger of the planning company EPL (Planning and Logistics Company S.A.) with VALEC (Engineering, Constructions and Railways, S.A.) and is responsible for railway works and planning and structuring projects for the infrastructure and transport sector.

The activities that make up the company's business pillar include:

Concession, lease and PPP structuring and modelling;
Environmental studies and expropriation;
Pre-feasibility studies;
Railway developments;
DT-E; Implementation and Operation of the Electronic Transport Document, which unifies documents and information in freight transport operations across all modes of transport;
Logistics diagnosis.

On 30 August, the second day of the conference, a meeting was held with Jun Kina from Vale, S.A., in the exhibition hall, during which he learned all about UIC and the benefits of being part of the organisation.

Vale, S.A. is a Brazilian multinational metals and mining corporation and one of the largest logistics companies in Brazil. The company produces iron ore, pellets, nickel, manganese, ferroalloys, copper, coal, fertilizers and other products. Its logistics infrastructure integrates the extraction of high-quality ore and its transportation by rail, port and ship to distribution centres.

Vale is present in five Brazilian states and has the largest mining complex in southeastern Pará. The company is committed to sustainable mining and has been helping to preserve around 800,000 hectares of the Amazon rainforest for 30 years. Vale also participates in cultural and social projects throughout Brazil, via the Vale Cultural Institute and the Vale Foundation.

There was also a meeting with Adriano Magalhaes Freitas from the Railway Development Engineering Department of RUMO, S.A., who expressed special interest in UIC standards and the significant contribution that expertise can offer to the management, operation and maintenance activities of this company.

Rumo Logística, S.A. is in the rail transport business, managing thousands of kilometres of rail network in Brazil. It transports products to the main regions, ensuring efficiency and achieving economic development in the cities it serves. It works with different inputs, such as industrialised products, fuels and agricultural commodities.

It is also dedicated to terminal operations and warehousing, the main ones being located in Paraná and Mato Grosso, with a structure for the movement of industrialised and bulk products. Additionally, Rumo provides container logistics services for imports, exports and the domestic market, as well as container handling, using a multimodal structure and customised solutions for each client.

On the morning of the final day, a meeting was held with TS Infraestructura, based in São Paulo, Brazil. In the presence of Paulo Benites, vice-president of the company and his advisor Gerson Luis Bittencourt, (on behalf of TS Infraestructura), substantial discussions took place covering major potential TS Infraestructura projects, such as the high-speed train that would link São Paulo with Rio de Janeiro through 417 km of railways.

The company shows special interest in the standards and expertise of UIC in the development of its projects, as well as in the methodology of work as a technical forum and through the working groups.

TS Infraestructura is a company that combines the technology and quality brought to Brazil by TOSHIBA more than 50 years ago with the experience of SBEI in infrastructure works. Derived from TOSHIBA's Full TurnKey branch, which has successfully completed more than 100 projects, TS Infraestructura is a consolidated company in the Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, and Urban Mobility sectors. The partnership with SBEI expands its expertise into transmission lines, civil construction and services, and also provides experience in railways and sanitation. Working ethically and committed to sustainability, TS Infraestructura is ready to participate in the most important infrastructure projects in Brazil.

Later on 31 August, a meeting was held with the MRS Logística technical team, led by Edilson Fonseca, responsible for digital solutions, and involving the rest of his team: Arnaldo Soares, Leonardo Silva do Santos, Pedro Henrique Oliveira, Sergio Cassemiro, Guilherme Schmidt and Jehan Secafim. The team was interested in UIC standards and its working groups on digitisation, telecommunications and signalling.

All the information regarding the benefits of being a UIC member was made available in the UIC Booklet and additional printed information.

In the morning of Wednesday, 30 August 2023, the sub-theme “Sustainability of Rail Transport” was developed and UIC was given the task of moderating a panel of senior executives. An opening message from UIC Director, François Davenne, was projected and then Marc Guigon took charge of the moderation. The topic of this session was “The sustainability of railroads in the world: challenges and opportunities”.

For further information on the activities of the UIC Latin American Region, please contact Marc Guigon at guigon at uic.org

UIC Welcomes FASE (Ferrocarriles Argentinos Sociedad del Estado) as new UIC member of Latin American Region

2023-07-11T15:07:29Z

The UIC welcomes FASE as a new member of the Latin American Region as approved during the General Assembly on 7 July 2023.

Ferrocarriles Argentinos Sociedad del Estado (FASE) is the holding company that leads the group of all the state railway companies, which are Trenes Argentinos Cargas (freight operations); Trenes Argentinos Operaciones (passenger operations); Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura (infrastructure) and Trenes Argentinos Capital Humano (human resources).

Its main objective is to articulate the state companies, the private companies, private actors, unions and users of the railway system, being the direct link to the Argentinian Ministry of Transport.

FASE was created after the approval of Law 27.132 in 2015, in order to set priorities in the passenger and freight railways reactivation policy, the renovation and improvement of the railway infrastructure and the incorporation of technologies and services that contribute to the modernisation and efficiency of the public rail transport system, pledging to guarantee the integration of the national territory, the country's connectivity and the development of regional economies with social equity and employment creation.

Its purposes include providing solutions for the entire railway system, either from the operational and logistical point of view through Working Groups, or by the development of science and technology from the National Centre for the Development of Railway Innovation (CENADIF).

For further information, please contact Vanessa Perez at perez at uic.org

UIC undertakes Latin American Mission to discuss sustainable mobility in Latin America and the role of rail

2023-05-03T17:20:52Z

UIC visited Latin America from 22 – 27 April 2023 for a range of events and bilateral meetings, including:

Presentation of new BMU (bimodal diesel-electric) trains in Chile
EFE UIC Day
Joint UIC and ECLAC side event at the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2023
Meeting with high level representatives from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay Railways.
Presentations of UIC work at the ‘JST SYMPOSIUM “Present and future of transport safety in Argentina and the region” on topics including accessibility and sustainable development.

These events created opportunities to engage with Latin American and global stakeholders, and to continue to position rail as the backbone of sustainable transport for people and goods of the future.

The UIC team, represented by Director General François Davenne, Rail System Director Christian Chavanel, Head of Sustainable Development Lucie Anderton, Passenger Director Marc Guigon, and Senior Passenger Advisor Vanessa Pérez, took the opportunity during this visit to exchange with its new Member EFE (Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado), which has recently joined UIC.

In order to better understand the expectations of EFE and to exchange between experts on technical issues, including infrastructure, passenger, freight and sustainability, UIC organised a dedicated “UIC Day” in Santiago (Chile) on 24 April. The exchanges showed that UIC and EFE share common global challenges and ambitions. The investment plans in Chile are impressive, with clear targets to double freight, triple passenger numbers and increase by 30% the number of women in the workforce by 2026, as well as to be carbon neutral by 2035.

UIC is focused on supporting its new UIC member EFE to achieve these targets and together they will spread the word on the importance of rail in the future sustainable mobility in Latin America.

UIC and UN ECLAC held a joint meeting on the occasion of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2023. With Vanessa Pérez as master of ceremonies, Keiji Inoue chaired a fireside chat where the Minister for Transport in Chile, Juan Carlos Muñoz, shared his vision and policy to transform mobility into a more interconnected and electrified public transport system that will connect more people and avoid unnecessary travel, with good urban planning being the key.
https://youtu.be/ZKrWXedYVsE

UIC Director General, François Davenne, shared examples from Africa and Europe where clear targets, long term policy vision and investment for rail and public transport have made cities more liveable. UIC Latin American Chair Joubert Flores shared the vision for green public transport in Brazil.

Miryam Saade Hazin, Economic Affairs Officer at International Trade and Integration Division, UN-ECLAC, presented the current transport trends across the regional and the key opportunities in rail.

UIC Head of Sustainable Development Lucie Anderton moderated a panel discussion on how the Latin American region can transform the way people and goods move through international cooperation, capacity building and sustained investment.

The panel featured:

Marc Guigon, Director Passenger and Latin America Region Coordinator, UIC
José Solorza Estebez, CEO, EFE Chile
Cristian Navas Duk, Senior Specialist, División de Transporte, BID
Carolina Chantrill, Sustainable Development Manager, Asociación Sustentar (online)
Liza Castillo, Senior Advisor, SLOCAT (online)
Cristian Navas, Inter-American Development Bank

From 26 – 27 April the UIC team met the main representatives from Paraguay, Uruguay Railways in Buenos Aires.

The mission led by the President of the UIC region, Jose Villafañe had the opportunity to meet the highest representatives of Argentinian Railways, Daniel Vispo, President of Belgrano Cargas (freight), Martin Marinucchi, President of SOFSE (passenger services) and ADIFSE (infrastructure), as well as Damian Contreras, President of FASE (Argentine Railway Holding) that have showed their growing interest in cooperating more closely with UIC.

This was also the occasion to reinforce UIC's link with its new member JST (Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte) with the participation of Vanessa Pérez and Lucie Anderton in the first symposium organised by JST “Present and future of transport safety in Argentina and the region” in two round table panel discussions on the topics of accessibility and climate change adaptation.

This mission followed the association's strategic interest in the development of the UIC regions, in this case the Latin American region, in order to reinforce the global character of the association.

If you wish to be informed about future UIC actions and those of its members in the region, do not hesitate to follow us on https://uic.org/latin-america/.

For further information on the activities of the UIC Latin American Region, please contact Marc Guigon guigon at uic.org

or Vanessa Perez perez at uic.org

Forum side event: “Making the case for rail as the backbone of sustainable mobility in Latin America”

2023-04-14T16:03:54Z

Date: 25 April 2023
Time: 13:00 (local time) – 19:00 (CET)
Location:
• In person: UN ECLAC Headquarters, Aula 2 – Sector ILPES, Santiago de Chile (register here)
• Online: Link here
Language: Spanish, with translation into English and vice-versa

On the occasion of the 6th Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2023, which is taking place in Santiago de Chile, UIC is working with the host of the forum, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), to co-organise a side event.

The goal of this event is to promote dialogue between policymakers, financial experts and transport experts to discuss the importance of a multimodal approach to transport systems, including the role of rail as a low-carbon solution for the transport of people and goods. Speakers will address the following issues:

How policy is changing in Latin America to advance modal shift.
The investment gap for implementation of such a modal shift.
The role of rail and where it is headed in Latin America. The benefits that rail can offer.
Opportunities for rail corridors.
How to advance multimodality and intermodality.

The UIC vision for 2030 describes a future in which we are on track to decarbonise transport, with a thriving, sustainable transport system that has generated many benefits for society. It paints a picture of the end of this decade when, given the right action and investment, there has been a 50% increase in the modal share of rail (and public transport), and it serves as the backbone of a sustainable mobility system. Panellists will discuss how this vision can be implemented in Latin America and the benefits that it could bring.

Draft agenda:

Welcome remarks from Keiji Inoue, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean International Trade and Integration Division Officer in charge, and François Davenne, UIC Director General
Fireside chat – where is policy headed? Miryam Saade Hazin, UN ECLAC and Ministry of Transport of Chile
Presentation of Latin American activities by Miryam Saade Hazin, UN ECLAC
“More Trains” campaign video and presentation by Lucie Anderton, UIC Head of Sustainability
Panel discussion with Q&A: “Sustainable mobility in Latin America and the role of rail” moderated by Lucie Anderton and with representatives from UIC, ANP Trilhos, EFE Chile, SLOCAT and Banco Interamericano de Desarollo
Closing remarks

We look forward to connecting with you at this event!

For further information please contact Vanessa Perez: perez at uic.org

Webinar on corridor development in South and Latin-America takes place

2023-02-27T11:41:16Z

With almost 300 registered participants, the webinar held on 14 February 2023 on corridor development in South and Latin-America organised by UIC and FIATA was an enormous success. The event, held in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English and Portuguese, was moderated by Cynthia Perišić Ivandić, FIATA ABIA Chair, ALOG, Chile.

José Nicanor Villafañe, President of the UIC Latin American Region, gave a warm welcome to the participants and expressed his delight at being able to open the webinar and his hope that the meeting would be highly productive for the freight operators. He mentioned how the activities on the railway system in the Latin American region always attract high levels of participation, and highlighted that other events like the session would be held and confirmed the region's continued support.

François Davenne, UIC Director General, gave a keynote speech highlighting UIC's global role by elaborating on some of the key issues that UIC is working on, stating that for more than 10 years, UIC has been driving corridor development to leverage the expansion of the rail freight sector. He also outlined that global organisations like UIC have an important role to play in combatting universal rail challenges, such as energy transition which has increasingly taken centre stage due to recent world events.

Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General, discussed how FIATA represents the heart of multimodality, supporting the promotion of best practices in the supply chain and providing digital standards and services to their members.

During the second part of the webinar:

The current developments in transport and logistics corridors were presented, including the evolution of railway freight in Latin America (LATAM), the global regulatory platform for inland transport, and the challenges and opportunities for corridor development in the LATAM region
Corridor developments from a policy perspective were shown, with presentations on the rail system and developments in Brazil and in Argentinian multimodal transport
Business insights into corridor development were presented, with insights from Chile regarding logistics in Santiago and San Antonio, challenges with freight, the multimodal railway corridors in Brazil, and the Port of Panama's history and evolution

Philip Van den bosch, UIC Freight Deputy Director, concluded the webinar by highlighting the region's potential and development levels, as well as underpinning how financing is one of the region's biggest challenges. Ole A. Hagen from FIATA, expressed his satisfaction with the event's organisation and that the joint UIC-FIATA seminar would not be the last.

Assess the presentations here: https://uic.org/events/LATAM-Corridor-Seminar-UIC-FIATA

Watch the recording here:

For further information, please contact Philip Van den bosch at vandenbosch at uic.org vandenbosch at uic.org

UIC celebrates EFE membership

2023-02-14T15:13:02Z

During a virtual meeting on 30 January 2023, the UIC Latin American team had the honour of welcoming EFE (Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado), the Chilean State Railway Company, as a new member of the region. EFE is a Chilean state-owned company in charge of freight and passenger rail transport, and was created on 4 January 1884, which makes it the country's longest operating public company.

The welcome meeting was chaired by Marc Guigon, Coordinator of the UIC Latin American Region, with the participation of Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and Latin American Region, and Nicedolly Taborda, UIC Representative for the Latin American Region. EFE was represented by Ricardo Montecino Leonard, Group Planning and Management Control Manager, and Polet Domínguez Rojas, Strategy and Development Assistant Manager.

During the meeting, Marc Guigon highlighted the importance of developing projects to act as a reference for the region to grow its railway networks, and mentioned all of the resources at UIC's disposal, such as the platforms, working groups, projects, standardisation and data, to which EFE now has access to as a member.

Additionally, EFE became a UIC member to benefit from successful experiences in the railway field, aiming to develop its company's know-how by reviewing existing standards created within the UIC working groups, as well as to contribute to the creation of projects that solve sustainability, rolling stock maintenance, and safety (safety and security) issues within the system.

Pérez emphasised how railways are seeing a resurgence in the region with increased political will for its development, and that it was necessary to take advantage of the situation and carry out projects to create reference material for the region. Montecino also stated that EFE would seek to advance work which calls attention to the known advantages of rail, notably in sustainable development, by promoting its importance over other systems of land transport. He also highlighted how interested EFE was in working with other UIC companies on infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance, and sustainability projects.

The calendar of activities proposed for the region was another topic discussed at the meeting, and EFE is expected to participate in the general and executive assemblies throughout the year, as well as being involved in the working groups and events, thanks to its UIC membership.

The UIC-Fiata “Development of multimodal corridors in Latin America” webinar, to be held on 14 February 2023, is just one example of the events promoting Latin American activity that UIC designed, with the aim of promoting expertise on rail networks and sharing experiences to provide greater harmonisation within the global railway system.

To find out more about the UIC Latin America Region, please visit the website at https://uic.org/latin-america/ or contact Vanessa Perez at perez at uic.org

A warm welcome to La Junta de Seguridad de Argentina (JST) on becoming a UIC member in the Latin American Region

2023-01-27T09:24:56Z

The UIC Latin American team welcomed La Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte (the Board of Transport Safety, JST) as a new member of the Region, during an online meeting held on 20 January 2023.

La Junta was created as an autonomous economic-financial entity in 2020 in light of the Republic of Argentina declaring its transport safety policy to be of national public interest. Therefore, JST's mission is to promote transport safety through investigating accidents and incidents in the Argentine transport systems.

The UIC team was represented by José Villafañe, President of the UIC Latin American Region, Marc Guigon, Passenger Director and Coordinator of the Latin American Region, Vanessa Pérez Miranda, Senior Advisor of the Passenger Department and the LARA Region, with the addition of Nicedolly Taborda who joined the team as the Representative of the UIC Latin American Region, and whose role, among other things, will be to support activity in the region and to establish links with the different UIC departments at the HQ in Paris and with the members.

Julian Obaid, Chair of the Board of Transport Safety, Diego Di Siervi, National Director of Railway Incident Investigation, and Florencia Cerutti, International Coordination, were present on behalf of JST.

At the meeting, the UIC team officially welcomed JST as a UIC member and highlighted the importance of the two bodies working together. It was a good opportunity to explain how UIC functions as a global association with the aim of engendering cooperation between the main stakeholders of the international railway sector, including JST, of course.

Obaid explained that JST's interest in becoming a member of the UIC came from the desire to participate in the creation of a large collaborative network and to access important information, as UIC is a global forum for sharing experiences and searching for solutions that provide greater harmonisation between multimodal systems. He also expressed that this collaboration would empower JST by enabling them to evolve into a reference and information repository for safety in region's rail transport.

For UIC, Villafañe emphasised the importance of JST pioneering actions related to safe transport (for all systems), since other organisations in the region would begin to join in order to replicate JST's management model, and this would lead to the creation of a regional round table on rail transport safety in the investigation and prevention of accidents.

To find out more about the UIC Latin America Region, please visit the dedicated website at https://uic.org/latin-america/ or contact Vanessa Perez at perez at uic.org

14 February 2023: UIC and FIATA to hold a webinar on multi-modal corridor development in the Latin-American region

2023-01-18T14:30:11Z

UIC, in collaboration with the International Federation of Freight Forwarders (FIATA), has organised a webinar to explore the current situation on the development of transport and logistics corridors in South and Latin-America, which will be held on 14 February 2023, from 10:00 – 12:15 CST.

As logistics and transport corridors are drivers for economic and social development, UIC and FIATA are very active in supporting all stakeholders to develop these corridors. The two-hour programme will approach the topic from several angles. The first part will see three renowned speakers provide an overview of the region's current level of corridor development. In the second and third parts, the floor will be given to stakeholders in the field, with the former part giving several countries and its policy makers the chance to present projects which support corridor development. In the third part, operators from different modes of transport will provide their position on the opportunities, challenges and what will be needed to make corridor development a success on par with other parts of the world.

The webinar will be held in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English and Portuguese.

For more information and to register, please click here: https://uic.org/events/LATAM-Corridor-Seminar-UIC-FIATA

For further information, please contact Philip Van den bosch, UIC, at vandenbosch at uic.org
or Ole Hagen, NHO, at olea.hagen at nholt.no

7º Seminario Internacional para el Desarrollo Integral del Sistema Ferroviario – ALAF

2022-11-08T16:16:39Z

We invite you to participate in the 7th International Seminar for the Integral Development of the Railway System. The event will be hosted by ALAF together with UIC, the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Engineering, and Proyecto Vectores, and will take place next Thursday, 10 November 2022 at 09:30 ART or 13:30 CET.

Marc Guigon, coordinator of the UIC Latin American Region, will open the seminar, which will then be divided into 4 panels (freight management models, passenger service operations, railway engineering and infrastructure), with a series of presentations by Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura, ALAF, FIUBA, ADIF Spain, ANPTrilhos, Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, Kansas City Southern de México, Trenes Argentinos Cargas, REMED, and other partners and sponsors.

The event will last 6 hours, from 10:00 to 16:00 ART and will be available to attend online.

To attend, please register here: https://forms.gle/LMBhJV9Ka5hweECq9

For further information, please contact Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor for the UIC Passenger Department at perez at uic.org

UIC travels to Brazil, Argentina and Chile

2022-10-05T17:14:15Z

An official UIC visit to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile was held in the first week of September, within the framework of its activities in the Latin American Region. The UIC participants were François Davenne, UIC Director General, Marc Guigon, Passenger Director and Latin American Region coordinator, and Vanessa Pérez Miranda, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and for the Latin American Regional Assembly.. José Villafañe, President of ALAF and of the UIC Latin American Region, Joubert Flores, and Vice-President of the UIC Latin American Region also collaborated on this mission.

The decision to launch these missions came in a bilateral meeting with UIC Chairman Mamiński and Director General Davenne at the beginning of this year, where Villafañe and Flores highlighted how the region has great potential, the need to emphasise the benefits of working with UIC and their commitment to increasing railway and national cooperation with UIC at an international level. Consequently the first mission was organised to visit Ecuador and Columbia, and then the second going to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, taking place with Davenne's participation.

During this second mission the UIC representatives had the opportunity to meet with high level representatives from the Argentinian, Brazilian, Chilian, Guatemalan, Uruguayan, Paraguayan and Bolivian national administrations and discuss UIC's activities. In Brazil, UIC also met representatives from the Development Bank of Brazil, the CCR Group, the São Paulo Metropolitan Train Company (CPTM) and the Secretary of Transport of São Paulo.

A one-day programme organised at the Head Quarters of the Latin American Association of Railways (ALAF) in Buenos Aires, saw the participation of multiple RUs such as the Argentinian Railways, FASE, DECAPH, ADIFSE, SOFSE Belgrano Cargas, and JST, to name just a few, as well as universities and representatives of neighbouring countries such as Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay being in attendance.
In Chili, UIC had the opportunity to meet the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications as well as the President and the Director of Strategy from the main railway undertaking in the country, EFE.

This mission is part of the UIC LARA Region's action plan to create a Vision 2050 to foster railway growth in Latin America, bringing the systems up to international standards and spreading knowledge. These are the main ways in which UIC and its international network of experts could support an increase in railway projects in the region.

The LARA region is running multiple UIC backed activities, such as the 17 May 2022 webinar entitled “5G - New Technologies Applied to Railway Systems” led by UIC's Head of Telecom, Signalling & Digital Applications, Jean-Michel Evanghelou. The webinar was held entirely in Spanish and attracted considerable interest, with around 150 people registering to attend online from different parts of Latin America. The video recording of the session can be accessed via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJ0ORRBrYc&t=4874s. Other topics, such as safety, which will be discussed in the following months will also be uploaded.

To find out more about the UIC Latin American Region, please visit the dedicated website at https://uic.org/latin-america/

For further information, please contact Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor, Passenger Department, at perez at uic.org

Prospective UIC visit to Colombia and Ecuador

2022-06-08T15:10:00Z

As part of the UIC Latin America Region activity, an official visit to various entities related to the development of the railways in Ecuador and Colombia was held in the last week of May by Marc Guigon, Passenger Director and Latin American Region coordinator and Vanessa Pérez Miranda, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and the LARA Region.

During this mission, UIC representatives had the opportunity to present UIC's activity to high-level representatives of the national administrations of Colombia and Ecuador.

In Colombia, Mr Guigon met representatives of the following main players: FDN (Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional – Financial Development Agency), ANI (Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura – National Agency of Infrastructures), DNP (Department Nacional de planificación – National Planification Department), Vice-minstry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Transport and Bonus, Banca de inversion, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

In Ecuador Mr Guigon met the Technical Secretariat of Public-Private Associations (agency depending on the Presidency) and representatives of Ecuador Railways.

This provided an occasion to exchange information about the current situation of the railways in the region, and to better understand the needs and challenges that the different actors of the region are facing to develop their railway activity. It helped clarify how UIC could help to develop the numerous projects already in place and ensure that their future operation be more efficient and sustainable.

This mission is part of the action plan of the UIC LARA region to create a Vision 2050 for the Region to foster the growth of rail in Latin America. International standards and disseminating knowledge are the two main factors in which UIC and its international network of experts could support the increasing number of railway projects in the region.

Recently Mr José Villafañe, President of ALAF and Chair of the UIC Latin America Region, and Mr Joubert Flores, Vice-Chair of the Region had a bilateral meeting with Mr Mamiński, President of the UIC and Mr Davenne, CEO of the UIC during which they highlighted the enormous potential of the region and their commitment to involve more railways and national entities to cooperate at international level within UIC.

They actively support the different actions of the LARA region, such as the most recent webinar organised on 17 May entitled “5G – New Technologies Applied to Railway Systems” with UIC's Director for Telecommunications, Signalling and Digital Applications, Jean-Michel Evanghelou. This webinar was held entirely in Spanish and was extremely well received, with almost 150 people registering to attend online from various parts of Latin America. The video recording of the session can be accessed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJ0ORRBrYc&t=4874s

To find out more about the UIC Latin America Region, please visit the dedicated website: https://uic.org/latin-america/

For further information, please contact Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor, Passenger Department, at perez at uic.org

UIC Latin America Region webinar, “5G - New Technologies Applied to Railway Systems”, held online on 17 May 2022

2022-05-24T16:03:31Z

In cooperation with the Latin American Railway Association (ALAF), the UIC Latin America Region organised a webinar on 17 May entitled “5G - New Technologies Applied to Railway Systems” with UIC's Director for Telecommunications, Signalling and Digital Applications, Jean-Michel Evanghelou. This webinar was held entirely in Spanish and aroused great expectation, with almost 150 people registering to attend online from different parts of Latin America. It was also attended by José Villafañe, President of ALAF and Chair of the UIC Latin America Region, and Joubert Flores, Vice-Chair of the Region.

Mr Villafañe welcomed the participants and expressed his appreciation to UIC and his team for making this interesting activity possible online within the framework of cooperation between ALAF and the UIC Latin America Region. Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor at UIC, sent apologies on behalf of Marc Guigon, Coordinator of the LARA Region, who was unable to attend the webinar on this occasion. Ms Pérez highlighted the importance of online webinars in explaining UIC's work at global level and seeking out synergies and potential for future development in the UIC Latin America Region.

During the session, Mr Evanghelou explained UIC's work to ensure that the rail infrastructure sector can successfully implement the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). Despite the reliability and quality of GSM-R, replacing it seems necessary as the system is becoming obsolete in the face of emerging requirements in the sector. Mr Evanghelou also stressed that future automation and digitalisation of rail, as well as increased interoperability, efficiency and safety, depend on successful FRMCS deployment, which will offer the tools necessary to create the trains of the future.

Time was set aside for discussion at the end of the session, moderated by Nicolas Belardi and Maximo Fioravanti, with participants given the opportunity to ask questions about the future application of this new standard. Mr Evanghelou noted that although FRMCS could be seen as a European solution, it is by nature a solution that should be implemented at a global scale. He also highlighted its importance in making passenger and freight trains more flexible and efficient, as well as its potential to reduce costs while ensuring safety. The opportunity to work with people from different sectors, and the impact this could have in terms of attracting young talent to the rail sector, was also stressed during the debate.

The video recording of the session can be accessed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJ0ORRBrYc&t=4874s

To find out more about the UIC Latin America Region, please visit the dedicated website: https://uic.org/latin-america/

For further information, please contact Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor, Passenger Department, at perez at uic.org

International seminar on the comprehensive development of the Latin American rail system held on 25 and 26 November 2021

2021-12-03T11:10:53Z

The sixth international seminar on the comprehensive development of the Latin American rail system was held jointly by the Latin American Railroad Association (ALAF) and UIC on 25 and 26 November.

The seminar was held as part of the 57th annual assembly of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Ferrocarriles (ALAF), an institution established in 1963 and recognised as a non-governmental organisation by the UN. The Secretary General of ALAF, José Villafañe, is President of the UIC Latin American Region.

In terms of content, the seminar featured five panel discussions on topics of strategic relevance for the development of the rail system in the region: open access models, cross-border rail integration, human capital training, cargo and passenger operation models and, finally, sustainable development, focusing on environmental issues.

Conceptually, the aim of the seminar was to provide an overview of the extensive work programme completed during 2021, with strong representation from Latin America and Europe. Participants sharing their experiences came from a range of countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain and the United Kingdom.

During the seminar, the enablers of and barriers to open access models for railway management were highlighted, as well as training of railway personnel as the centerpiece of the development of the system, progress made by the main cargo and passenger operators in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay, the new paradigms in terms of environmental matters and the potential contributions of the railway mode and, fundamentally, railway integration as a structural policy for the region.

The opening and closing panel discussions were attended by high-level transport sector representatives from Argentina, where the ALAF headquarters are located, and the ALAF authorities, José Villafañe, Vicente Abate (Brazil) and Juan Carlos Revollo (Bolivia), as well as UIC Latin American Region Vice-President Joubert Flores and UIC Passenger Department Director and Coordinator for Latin America, Marc Guigon.

The seminars can be viewed online via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/c/ALAFlatino

For further information on the activities of the UIC Latin American Region, please contact Marc Guigon guigon at uic.org

or Vanessa Perez perez at uic.org

Latin America regional assembly held 15 November 2021

2021-12-01T14:16:33Z

The first Regional Assembly of the newly appointed President, Mr. José Villafañe and Vice President, Mr. Joubert Flores, of the UIC Latin American Region was held online last 15 November 2021.

After a welcome message from the President, the Assembly opened. The President highlighted the good relationship with the Vice President and the close contact they have to plan the future steps to develop the UIC regional activity as soon as the Covid-19 health restrictions make it possible. Mr. Flores also highlighted the good cooperation with the President and the challenges of being attractive to new members, as discussed in the meeting organised with Mr. Guigon during his last visit to Paris in October.

Mr. Guigon explained the importance of the LARA Terms of Reference due to the fact that they explain the internal rules, organisation and procedures of the Region. The LARA ToR was already approved in 2019 by the Regional Assembly so there is no need to submit it again unless the new members would like to make modifications. The new members were asked to endorse the Terms of Reference for the UIC Latin American Region. They agreed and no modification was asked for.

The LARA Action Plan 2022-2023 and a practical Road Map for UIC LARA Members was discussed. Mr. Flores highlighted that a strategic coordination with Mr. Villafañe will be necessary not only to identify but also to contact new members.

In the coming weeks, the President's team and the Vice President will work on a new draft for the Region Action Plan for the short, medium and long term (2050). It was again highlighted the importance of enlarging the region by inviting new members. Mr. Villafañe stressed how important the personal contacts and meetings are to attract and to explain the UIC Activity which was more difficult during the last year. Mr. Guigon emphasized that he will try his best to visit the Region next year if the health situation derivating from Covid makes it possible.

Vanessa Perez explained the LARA Communication Plan draft to establish a series of activities with the aim of communicating the actions of the Region and to check at the end of the year what has been done and what is the coverage and impact.

It was highlighted to look for synergies among the ALAF and ANP Trihos international activities and the UIC ones.

Examples of these common activities are shown below:

The workshop organised online in July https://uic.org/com/enews/article/the-webinar-on-challenges-for-rail-integration-in-latin-america-organised-by

The international workshop organised 26 November https://uic.org/events/desafios-para-la-integracion-ferroviaria-en-america-latina-segunda-parte

For more information about the LARA region you can contact:
Marc Guigon, UIC Coordinator of Latin American Region guigon at uic.org or Vanessa Perez perez at uic.org

Brazil: ANPTrilhos celebrates 11 years since its foundation

2021-09-03T11:38:48Z

On 28 August, the National Association of Passenger Rail Operators (ANPTrilhos) celebrated its 11th anniversary since its foundation.

The association grew out of the dream of five executives, who joined together in their effort to unite and develop metro-railway passenger transport in Brazil.

Currently, the association can count on the active membership of operators and a significant part of Brazilian industry, making it a stable entity committed to its beliefs and values.

Over the years, ANPTrilhos has earned the respect of the press, civil society, the government and legislative bodies, which now rely on its collaboration for the development and improvement of public policies and regulations aimed at the rail passenger sector.

Working together with the National Transport Confederation, the entity also contributes to the synergy of actions in favour of Brazilian transporters.

Extending beyond national borders, ANPTrilhos is represented across the five continents. Currently, the organisation is proud to be a member of the most respected international associations dedicated to public transport and rail: the International Union of Railways (UIC), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the Latin American Metro and Subway Association (Asociación Latinoamericana de Metros y Subterráneos – ALAMYS), the Latin American Railway Association (Asociación Latinoamericana de Ferrocarriles – ALAF), and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

ANPTrilhos is also proud of working in partnership with Brazilian associations, including the Brazilian Association of the Railway Industry (ABIFER), the Association of Metro Engineers and Architects (AEAMESP), the National Association of Public Transport (ANTP) and the Brazilian Association of Tourist and Cultural Train Operators (ABOTTC).

Working in line with principles that inspire and conduct ethical and responsible behaviour, ANPTrilhos is always ready for collaboration that will provide the sector with even more strength and greater representation.

The coronavirus pandemic has proved a huge challenge. The sector is experiencing the biggest crisis that public transport has ever experienced and while there is still a long way to go, ANPTrilhos believes that by working together, committed and motivated, it will be possible to overcome this crisis and come out the other side even stronger.

In celebration of its 11th anniversary, ANPTrilhos is launching a new institutional video:

National Association of Passenger Rail Operators
The union of the metro-railway sector for Brazil and Brazilians!

(Source: ANPTrilhos)

First coordination meeting of the recently appointed Chair and Vice Chair of the UIC Latin American Region

2021-07-22T11:17:39Z

Last 13 July 2021 the first coordination meeting of the new Chair and Vicechair of LATAM region was held online.

During the meeting it was present Marc Guigon, Director of the Passenger Department and Coordinator of the Latin American Region as well as José Villafañe, new Chair of the Region, Joubert Flores, new Vicechair of the Region and Vanessa Perez Miranda, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and for the Latin American Region.

During the meeting Marc Guigon welcomed and congratulated Mr. Villafañe and Mr. Flores for their new position. Both of them expressed also their satisfaction and their willing to cooperate in the development of the UIC Latin American Region.

During the meeting it was highlighted several times the importance of developing the region. Mr. Guigon explained that the first action would be to better know the needs of the region in general and of potential members in particular.

Mr. Villafañe explained that a meeting with ALAF members will be organize in the following weeks to listen to their needs and expectations regarding UIC. He also invited Mr. Flores to participate in these meetings.

Mr. Flores added that we will get in touch with passengers' operators but also with freight operators in Brazil. He also suggested to reinforce the link with other international organizations and stakeholders of the region.

Mr. Guigon clarified that there is also the need to explain what it the added value of begin part of the UIC as international association with actions in all the important issues related to railways from the passengers, freights, sustainability, rail system infrastructures, etc…. UIC has also the capacity to bring together international experts in all the areas.

The participant agreed on the idea of working on the strategic vision of the region on the Horizon 2050 and to work together in concrete actions to be developed in short term like the workshop already organized in July 2021 and the one to be organized 25 November.

For more information please contact Vanessa Perez Miranda, Senior Advisor for the Passenger Department and for the Latin American Region at perez at uic.org

The webinar on “Challenges for Rail Integration in Latin America”, organised by UIC and ALAF in collaboration, was held on 1 July 2021.

2021-07-07T11:44:49Z

This webinar took a balanced look at issues and solutions adapted to the Latin-American railway community, the challenges railways face when integrating the transport of passengers and goods, the fundamentals of rail, such as safety and operational management, and the potential for developing tourist services.

Mr Marc Guigon, Director of the Passenger Department and Coordinator of the Latin American Region at UIC, welcomed the participants and underlined the UIC's fundamental values.

Mr José Nicanor Villafañe, Secretary General of the Latin American Railway Association (ALAF), welcomed the opportunity to share experiences on railway integration in Latin America and its development.

The first panel focused on the standards and key challenges of regional integration.
“The implementation of standards is the key to railway integration”
Mercedes Gutierrez, Senior Advisor to the Department of Railway Infrastructure, UIC

The presentation showcased the core values of UIC, a non-profit organisation whose International Railway Solutions (IRS, previously UIC Leaflets) have been the worldwide standard for railways since 1928. The association's four main activities are an online platform for dialogue between members, IRS standards, training and conferences, and working groups. The Railway System Forum manages 78 ongoing projects.

“Level crossings are key to operational safety”
Isabelle Fonverne, Senior Advisor to the Safety Department, UIC

With an estimated 500,000 level crossings worldwide, mostly located in highly populated urban areas, the need to ensure their safety has only increased. The Global Level Crossing Network enforces the motto “engaging, enabling, evaluation, engineering, enforcement, education”, and further cooperates with the Latin American region, with the publication of a guide expected for 2022. On 30 June 2021, the ILCAD conference was launched online for the first time in three languages: English, Spanish and French. The next ILCAD edition is scheduled for 9 June 2022.

“Keys to rail integration in Latin America” / “Operational safety in the transport of cargo and passengers”
Diego Disiervi, Transportation Safety Board (JST), Argentina

Operational safety has been deemed a cause of public interest in Argentina. The JST's mission is to determine the causes of accidents, for all transportation types, in order to improve prevention efforts and operational safety. The National Direction of Accident Investigation (DNSIF) focuses on multimodal safety, with a wide area of action: formulating operational safety recommendations, gathering specialists, conducting field surveys, creating training programmes, and disseminating standards.

JST: “Un estado presente, un estado que te cuida” (A State there for you, a State that looks after you)

The second panel involved railway operation.

“Integrated railway operation between countries”
Victorino Pérez Fernandez, Manager of the International Relations Area, Renfe Operadora, Spain

The presentation highlighted the many challenges railways must overcome to operate smoothly across Europe. Many obstacles get in the way of interoperability in Europe: different voltages, signalling systems and track widths, and traffic on the right or left.

The presentation also highlighted the renewed interest in night trains which provide a comfortable and practical experience, although come with their own share of operational challenges (questionable day use, need for upgraded cars, time-consuming for long distances, etc.).

“Mexico-USA-Canada Cross-Border Freight Railroad”
Iker de Luisas Plazas, General Director, Mexican Association of Railways, AMF, Mexico

The presentation focused on the development of rail in Mexico. Between 1997 and 2020, US$12.5 million had been invested in railways, with 13 ports served thanks to intermodal services for external trade. The advantages of the intermodal double stowage service were also explained. More interconnection was expected to develop the Canada – USA – Mexico trade axis.

“Passenger railway operation: a new milestone towards integration”
Joubert Flores, President of the Associação Nacional dos Transportadores de Passageiros sobre Trilhos (ANPTrilhos), Brazil

Brazil counts 1.45 million passengers. The Brazilian government is therefore seeking to create a national policy for regional train development based on its tremendous networking potential (25,000 km in total). There are two existing passenger train lines, with three more regional lines planned.

Participants asked if short-term integration of the railway system with countries in the region was to be expected. Mr Flores replied that there was great potential for freight, but passenger train integration would be slower as the internal network was weaker in comparison.

The third panel emphasised the potential development of tourism railways.

“TopRail: opportunities derived from rail tourism”
Vanessa Pérez Miranda, Senior Advisor to the Passenger Department and the Latin American Region, UIC

TopRail is a working group created in 2012 to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the railway through tourism and to identify new market opportunities. The group learned that tourism trains and services can be developed in a variety of ways, from adapted small regional trains to historical trains or modern rolling stock. Tourism services using trains create added value at the economic and social level where they optimise existing resources. Moreover, they help create a positive image of rail, detached from work-related experiences. Tourism trains thrive on new values and trends: sustainability, authenticity, local travel, work+vacation, and digital breaks. It was noted that sustainability can be a powerful marketing tool for the sector, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, as sustainable products are seen as safe and customers favour local destinations.

For more information, please visit www.toprail.org.
“Rail Tourism in Latin America”
Sergio D. Rojas, Business Development, Manager Latin America – TMH International

TMH International is comprised of 26 production and heavy maintenance plants and is present in 30 countries. It is renowned for high-quality rolling stock, a large array of on-board services, job creation across entire regions, and considerable revenues.
Tourist trains represent €300 million per year worldwide. They have a low environmental impact and reduced CO2 emissions, with great potential to mobilise local economies and at prices for all budgets. Most importantly, they promote rail to all sorts of communities. Mr Rojas shared a series of potential international tourism projects that it might be interesting to develop in the Latin American Region.

“The Mayan Train, a project with great potential for the development of the creative economy and cultural tourism in south-eastern Mexico”
Jordi Tresserras, UNESCO Mexico Consultant and Director of the Cultural Tourism and Heritage Laboratory of the University of Barcelona

Mr Tresserras explained the special accompanying programme for the holistic development of cultural and natural tourism along the route of the Mayan Train, the regional and federal programmes to promote cultural tourism, and the cultural experiences in community-based tourism on the Yucatán Peninsula: in short, the Peninsular Alliance for Community Tourism.

“Our roadmap: building partnerships and articulating policies, strategies and operational plans.”

For more information, please visit https://www.trenmaya.gob.mx/.

“PeruRail: Tourist transport services”
Alberto Valdez Galdos, General Manager of PeruRail

PeruRail is the leading rail operator on the country's south and south-east routes, part of the Belmond Group, offering trips and luxury experiences to two of Peru's most iconic destinations: Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. PeruRail also transports goods and minerals to the Port of Matarani and is the most efficient logistics operator covering the transport of large volumes of cargo by train in the south of Peru.

The company ensures ethical, responsible and respectful treatment of the law, the environment, communities, human rights and fair trade both in operations and with customers. Mr Valdez also highlighted all the protocols implemented in PeruRail trains to ensure the safety of passengers and inspire confidence in the trip.
The presentation showed the different tourism trains related to the different destinations.

To conclude the webinar, Mr Guigon reiterated the importance of sharing best practices and showing solidarity between members. He thanked the speakers for their enlightening contributions and ALAF for helping set up this webinar. Finally, he assured participants they could rely on UIC to guide and promote their future projects.

Mr Villafañe commended the success of this webinar, which had more than 250 registrations and hosted over 100 participants for its 5-hour duration. He also thanked the speakers, and the teams from ALAF and UIC for the organisation of the event.

For further information, please contact Vanessa Perez, Senior Advisor Passenger Department, Latin America Region at perez at uic.org

Tweet of the week 6 July – 10 July

2020-07-16T11:50:37Z

from eNews Nr 700 -

https://bit.ly/30a3Uvi
https://twitter.com/uic/status/1280...

/ Latin America , Promoting, Social Media, Webinar, Twitter