The UIC ERTMS world conference is to take place in Malaga, Spain, on 31 March-2 April 2009, at the invitation of the Spanish rail infrastructure manager (ADIF), the Spanish rail operator (RENFE), the Spanish Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento). This leading UIC conference is co-organised with the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE), the ERTMS Users Group, GSM-R Industry Group and supported by the European associations, CER and EIM.
The UIC ERTMS Conference is the leading event dedicated to the ERTMS (European Railway Traffic Management System) implementation, deployment and exchange of views with users and producers. All stakeholders involved in the implementation of ETCS (European Train Control System) and GSM-R (Radio Communications Systems for Railways) will be present – more than 700 delegates from all continents. Exhibitors will include all leading companies in the fields of signalling, radio and telecommunications.
The conference theme “ERTMS – On Board and on Track” underlines the feasibility of making a technological leap forward in a re-organised railway environment in Europe whereby both Infrastructure Managers and Train Operating Companies (Railway Undertakings) must construct the benefits of adopting the system in the most optimum way.
Magdalena Alvarez, Spanish Minister of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento), Antonio Gonzalez Marin, President of ADIF, José Salgueiro Carmona, President of RENFE, Karel Vinck, Coordinator of the European Commission for ERTMS, Marcel Verslype, Executive Director of the European Railway Agency (ERA), UIC Chairman Mr Yoshio Ishida, and Mrs Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié, UIC Provisional Administrator, Michele Elia, Chief Executive of the Italian Infrastructure Manager (RFI / FS Group) and Chairman of UIC ERTMS Platform, Michael Clausecker, Director General of UNIFE together with prominent speakers from the ERTMS Users Group, GSM-R and Signalling industry will be present at the ERTMS 2009 edition.
Spain has been chosen for this 2009 edition as this country has played a leading role in the development and deployment of ERTMS and has seen the early adoption of ETCS and GSM-R in a multi-supplier environment. Spain serves nowadays as full scale test site for interoperability between track-side and on-board ETCS and GSM-R products of all European suppliers. After a difficult phase with need for solving technical problems in relation with the ETCS level 2 applications, a full brake-through has now been reached. Their experience and future outlook will offer valuable insights to all participants at the conference.
Technical visit
Following an established tradition for the UIC ERTMS conferences, a technical visit will be organised on 31 March by the Spanish hosts ADIF and RENFE with a live demonstration of ERTMS on the high-speed line section between Malaga and Cordoba. Exhibitions of rolling stock and infrastructure related equipment in the stations of Malaga and Cordoba will give additional in-sights.
