Main topics at the agenda were the presentation of the UIC Declaration Sustainable Mobility & Transport, the European Environment Strategy ‘Moving towards Sustainable Mobility: Rail Sector Strategy 2030 and beyond’, the renewal of the Chairmanship of Joachim Kettner, and the reporting of the Expert Networks on Soil Pollution, Emissions, Noise, Sustainable Mobility, and Energy & CO2-emissions, which included the “Energy and CO2 data handling policy”. In addition, there were two external presentations from the ‘SusStation’ project and the International Transport Forum.
After having been supported by the UIC General Assembly in June this year and a following feedback process, the UIC Declaration on Sustainable Mobility & Transport is now ready to be signed. The first UIC member to sign the UIC Declaration on Sustainable Mobility & Transport was the CEO of SBB, Mr. Andreas Meyer, who signed it on the very same day of the EES Platform in Bern, Switzerland. The UIC Declaration on Sustainable Mobility & Transport is supported by UNEP and Global Compact.
The long-term strategy ‘Moving towards Sustainable Mobility: Rail Sector Strategy 2030 and beyond’ outlining how the rail sector can reduce its environmental impact was approved during the meeting. The strategy, which has been under discussion for over a year, will now be considered, as a joint UIC/CER paper, at the UIC Regional Assembly Europe in Paris on 1 December. The document has been developed to provide a medium and long-term plan for the rail sector that fits in with wider environmental and political policy goals.
The strategy suggests how the rail sector should be performing in environmental terms in the medium (2030) and long (2050) terms in four areas: CO2 reduction, energy efficiency, reduction of exhaust emissions (nitrogen oxides and particulate matter), and noise. It builds on the existing commitment made by CER members in 2008 to reduce CO2 emissions from rail traction by 30%.
The extension of the chairmanship of Mr. Joachim Kettner, Head of Environmental Affairs of DB, for two more years until end of 2012 was approved and warmly welcomed by the members of the EES Platform.
Further on, the members of the EES Platform approved the “Energy & CO2 data handling policy”. The data use policy defines a structured policy for the dissemination and external use of the energy and CO2 data for UIC members, non UIC Members (Institutions and NGOs and general public). Over the last two years UIC has built up an energy and CO2 data base, which is used to monitor the CER CO2 reduction commitment, and which feeds the UIC Eco-comparison tools EcoPassenger and EcoTransIT.
For more information regarding the projects of the Expert Networks of the EES Platform please visit UIC website (www.uic.org) under ‘Schedule of Meetings’.
At the end of the meeting two presentations from external speakers where held. The Interreg IVB funded project, ‘SusStation - Achieving Sustainable Stations’, was presented by John French from Transport Regeneration Ltd.. The objective of the project is to support the development of rail stations with high environmental performance, as well as facilitating a key role as a nodal point in their local societies. And finally, Philippe Crist from the International Transport Forum (ITF) gave an interesting presentation on the theme of ITF’s next year’s High-level meeting on transport ” The transport challenge in a changing society”.
