On 15 and 16 May 2025, more than 100 participants from 26 member companies of the Asia-Pacific Region came together in New Delhi, India, and online to hold the 38th Asia Pacific Regional Assembly (APRA) and the 24th Asia-Pacific Management Committee (APMC).
The conferences were kindly hosted by the Asia-Pacific (AP) Vice-Chair Satish Kumar, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Indian Railways, and chaired by Han Moon Hee, President and CEO of KORAIL and Chair of the UIC Asia-Pacific Region.
In his address to the 38th APRA meeting, UIC’s Director-General, François Davenne outlined UIC’s strategic direction for 2026–2028, emphasising the importance of having clear timelines and regional engagement. He also highlighted achievements in sustainability advocacy, innovation, and technical recognition, including significant growth in project activity and funding. The upcoming strategy focuses on five priorities: promoting rail through global advocacy, supporting rail’s revival around the world, strengthening standardisation, advancing operational innovation, and expanding service provision and training. Davenne also stressed the need for greater regional involvement, especially beyond Europe, and reaffirmed UIC’s commitment to being a global hub for operational standards and expertise.
Next, the Chair gave a detailed update on UIC Asia-Pacific’s activities since the last meeting in September 2024, reaffirming the regional vision of “Connecting Lives and Railways for a Better Future”, structured around safety, sustainability, growth, and expansion.
Key highlights included the UIC Asia Tour promoting digital transformation, a regional safety training in Tokyo, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Rail Summit focused on tech integration. Five regional projects are underway for 2025, and 34 project proposals were submitted for 2026, showing increased interest and involvement. Looking ahead, four strategic goals were proposed to boost reach worldwide, including attracting new members, engaging in global projects and awards, and fostering interregional collaboration.
Following the regional strategy established under the leadership of the Asia-Pacific’s chair and the 2026 project submissions were endorsed by APRA. Accordingly, the 2026 project selection encompassed a variety of highly relevant and timely proposals, all closely aligned with KORAIL’s strategy.
APRA & APMC were preceded by a full day of workshops dedicated to the regional Opt-in Projects. Around 80 participants joined the workshop in person and online, creating a dynamic environment with ample opportunities to discuss the 34 proposed projects for 2026.
The workshop, and APRA and APMC meetings concluded with a site visit to India’s Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFFCIL), giving the Asia-Pacific members a chance to explore the operators’ vast network in practice. The visit was held at an opportune moment, as DFFCIL has applied for associate membership. The site visit included a ride on India’s dedicated freight corridor network.
We thank our colleagues from Indian Railways for the outstanding organisation of the conference and look forward to being welcomed by KORAIL in Seoul, Korea, for the 39th APRA and 25th APMC on 3-4 November 2025.
For any inquiries, please contact aprateam at uic.org
