While the Covid-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to members all around the world, it has continued to provide opportunities for UIC to reach out to its members globally using technology, rather than travel, to keep in touch, provide information on UIC’s activities, and offer additional support in specific areas of interest.

On 9 February, Australian members once again met with UIC experts online to discuss specific UIC initiatives. This first members’ meeting of 2021 was a great success and left participants keen to know more and to promote further discussions beyond the regular catch-up meeting. The topics for discussion at the February meeting included an introduction to UIC’s work on track management and maintenance, as well as a detailed presentation of the Harmotrack project. Both presentations facilitated a great deal of discussion, and further presentations with members in Australia have since been arranged. Many thanks go to Mercedes Guttierez, Infrastructure & TTI Senior Advisor, UIC Rail System Department, and Danilo Sorrentino, Head of Vehicle-Track Interaction at SNCF Réseau, for the time that they gave to deliver these presentations.

The next UIC Pacific meeting is planned for 9 March, and specific topics will include broken rail detection, which is a topic of great interest in Australia, as well as asset condition monitoring.