UIC and the Ministry of Railways (MOR) of the People’s Republic of China are organising UIC HIGHSPEED 2010, the 7th world Congress on High Speed Rail, on 7 – 9 December 2010 in Beijing

UIC HIGHSPEED is widely recognised as the most prominent and large-scale international event in its field and will bring together high-level speakers from countries that operate high speed, countries where high speed construction has either started or will soon be initiated and speakers from countries who are seriously considering introducing high speed. The main aim will be to deliver an overview of the latest achievements and innovations in high speed rail transport and future outlook, and to promote decisions aiming to further implement this efficient and sustainable transport mode.

Decision-makers from the transport and railway field from all over the world

The Chairmen of the congress Mr Liu Zhijun, Minister of Railways of China and Mr Yoshio Ishida, UIC Chairman, will officially open the congress on 7 December together with
Mr José Blanco, Spanish Transport Minister, Mr Mauro Moretti, CEO of Italian Railways (FS) and UIC Vice-Chairman, Mr He Huawu, Chief Engineer of the Chinese Ministry of Transport (MOR), Mr Huh Joon-Young, CEO of Korail and Chairman of the UIC Asian Regional Assembly (South Korea), Mr Hubert du Mesnil, President of the French Rail Infrastructure Manager (RFF) and Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General.

Prominent figures will take the floor during these three days, among them:

• Mrs Karen Rae, Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration,
• US Department of Transportation
  -* Mr Guillaume Pepy, President of SNCF (France)
• Mr André Navarri, Member of the Presiding Board of the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE) and President and CEO of Bombardier Transportation
• Mr Masaki Ogata, Vice-Chairman of East Japan Railway Company
• Mr Zbigniew Szafranski, Chairman of the Board PKP Polish Railway Lines Company, Chairman of UIC Rail Systems Forum
• Mr Vincenzo Soprano, CEO of Trenitalia (Italy)
• Mr Michele Elia, CEO of the Italian Rail Infrastructure Manager and Chairman of the UIC ERTMS Platform (Italy)
• Mr Teófilo Serrano Beltrán, Chairman of the Spanish rail operator (RENFE Operadora)
• Mr Antonio González Marín, CEO of the Spanish infrastructure manager (ADIF)
• Mr Norimichi Kumagai, Executive Director of Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI Japan)
• Mr Zheng Jian, Chief Planning Officer at MOR (P. R. China)
• Mrs Barbara Dalibard, CEO of SNCF Voyages
• Mr Olaf Mense, ERTMS Marketing Group of UNIFE

This leading conference is organised around two round tables dealing with “High Speed Rail towards the Future” and “High Speed Rail Innovations” respectively. Seven blocks of thirty-five parallel sessions totalling 240 presentations on dedicated topics directly connected with high speed rail development will include:

• High Speed Rail and Socio-economic Development: environment, energy and resources, noise and vibrations, economics, financing, territory management
• High speed rolling stock: design and manufacturing, use and maintenance, traction power supply
• High speed operations: safety and security, standards and interoperability, extreme
• and exceptional natural conditions, signalling and communications
• High Speed Infrastructure: track maintenance, tunnels & bridges, track components
• High Speed and network planning: project management, training and human resources
• High Speed and Stations: architecture, high speed and the city, multimodal stations
• High Speed Rail and Marketing: service quality, commercial aspects, marketing and distribution

The presentations have been selected by the UIC HIGHSPEED 2010 Scientific Committee chaired by Mr Michel Leboeuf, Director at SNCF and Mr. He Huawu, Chief Engineer at China’s MOR. The Scientific Committee is composed of high-level experts from railway operators, infrastructure managers, rail organisations, research institutes and consultancies.

The Scientific Committee has also set up a special Student Programme and is pleased to welcome students specialising in rail transport at UIC HIGHSPEED 2010 as they are important for the future in general and more specifically for the continued innovation of high speed rail.

An International railway exhibition in conjunction with “Modern Railways”

The UIC HIGHSPEED 2010 professional exhibition will be organised in conjunction with the 9th edition of “Modern Railways”, the only large international railway exhibition approved and fully supported by China’s Ministry of Railways (MOR) and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). “Modern Railways” serves as an important platform for exchange and cooperation for railway manufacturers and railway companies from 20 different countries around the world. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn about the requirements of China’s railway development, foster partnerships and develop the market.

Technical visits will give participants the opportunity to discover the Chinese railway infrastructure and rolling stock.

The Chinese Academy of Railway of Science (CARS) will handle all logistical concerns relating to the congress.

You can find more information and register on the congress website below:
http://www.uic-highspeed2010.com.cn