The third UIC ASEAN series of web meetings was held on 28 January and was dedicated to sustainable development in railways and access to UIC tools in this field.
Co-organised by UIC Asia-Pacific and the UIC Sustainable Development Unit, the meetings served as an opportunity for 29 participants from eight member companies (DJKA, KAI and MASKA from Indonesia, KTMB, MyHSR CORP and RAC from Malaysia, DOTR from the Philippines and VNR from Vietnam), as well as guest representatives from NRCOE Malaysia, JR East and KORAIL, to hear from the team led by Lucie Anderton, Head of the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU).
Moderated by Milko Papazoff, UIC ASEAN Representative, Vincent Vu, Director of Institutional Relations and Asia-Pacific Coordinator, opened the session by recalling UIC’s role and its development in Asia-Pacific.
Ms Anderton then gave a complete presentation of the Sustainable Development Unit and her team, composed of Isabelle De Keyzer, Pinar Yilmazer, Marie-Luz Philippe, and Philippe Stefanos; and also introduced Ms Christine Vanoppen: Chairwoman of the Sustainability Platform.
The presentation examined aspects such as the circular economy, noise and vibration, sustainable land use, air quality and door-to-door transport, and the TRISTRAM, Reverse, Bison, and Clean Air Trains projects were also presented with a view to encouraging active participation on the part of UIC ASEAN and Asia-Pacific members in the various activities in the future. Participants were also reminded of UIC’s involvement in various international forums, including the upcoming COP 26 in Glasgow in November.
Ms Anderton also conducted two polls among the members with regard to priority areas for action in the sustainability field, and members’ commitment to decarbonisation.
KAI’s Rail Clinic and Rail Library, as well as SRT’s running test and operation plan for power car on energy cost savings, were also presented to demonstrate UIC ASEAN members’ experience in the field of sustainability.
This was followed by an interactive session in which the UIC ASEAN members discussed areas of interest and concern, particularly in relation to energy saving, natural disaster management, technology financing, carbon footprint management and digital maintenance. Special thanks go to the Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indonesian members for their contributions.
The session then continued with presentations on the SDG Rail Index tool achievements, sustainability reporting for rail, and the Energy Efficiency and CO2 Emissions Sector. This provided an opportunity to recall and promote the various best practice and energy efficiency workshops that are held regularly by the SDU.
Finally, Ms Anderton presented the UIC Climate Declaration, inviting the UIC ASEAN members to sign and commit to it.
This third session was again well-received by the members and will facilitate more regular contact with the UIC SDU team at Paris HQ. The members are now eager to discover the fourth UIC ASEAN series of web meetings on 25 February, which will focus on standards and standardisation matters.
