UIC is organising the 3rd Global Rail Freight Conference (GRFC) in close collaboration with Moroccan National Railways (ONCF). This international conference will be held in Tangier, Morocco, from 17 – 19 October 2012, under the high patronage of the Authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco.
This conference follows the two previous editions successfully held in Delhi (2007) with Indian Railways and in St Petersburg (2010), in collaboration with Russian Railways (RZD) and participants from 40 countries.
The central theme of this 3rd conference will be “Railway transport – what role does it play in the development of global logistics?” The integration of rail freight in global logistics systems has become a major focus of development for railway companies. The strategic objectives consist in optimising rail’s role in the multimodal transport chain and services and developing valuable synergies with shipping companies, ports, intermodal operators, freight customers and all stakeholders in the global logistics system. The conference is aimed first and foremost at the representatives of these sectors as well as those of institutions involved in the development of transport systems (governments, international organisations, financial institutions, etc.).
Among the presentations and exchange of experiences involving high-level speakers, the focus will be on the following topics: intermodality, multimodal partnerships, international freight corridors, the advantages of Morocco and the Mediterranean region as an international platform for logistics services, and optimising the supply chain through the introduction of new technologies.
The conference will be complemented by an exhibition enabling the main stakeholders in the freight and logistics sector to introduce themselves to the participants from across the globe.
Among the speakers, mention should be made of Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director-General of UIC, Mohammed Rabie Khlie, Chief Executive of Moroccan Railways (ONCF) as well as Chairman of the UIC African Region, Marc Juhel, Transport Division Manager at the World Bank, Jean-Louis Guigou, CEO of IPEMED, Hans-Georg Werner, Member of the Board of DB Schenker Rail, Ferdinand Schmidt, CEO of ÖBB Produktion and Chairman of the UIC Freight Forum, and Jean-Michel Genestier, Deputy Director-General of SNCF Geodis, etc.
