UIC HIGHSPEED 2012 will be hosted in Philadelphia, PA (USA) on July 10 – 13, 2012. The international event is the world’s largest global gathering focused around successful strategies, latest developments, best practices and innovative technologies in high-speed rail. This year, the 8th World Congress & Trade Exhibition on High-Speed Rail will address strategic issues linked to the national and international development of high-speed rail systems.
The event is organized by UIC and American Public Transportation Association (APTA), with the cooperation of UIC North American members: American rail operator Amtrak, Association of American Railroads (AAR), U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and VIA Rail Canada.
Opening Session (Wednesday, July 11, 2012)
The 8th World Congress will be led by Yoshio Ishida, UIC Chairman and,
Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General, who will be joined by Gary Thomas, Chairman of APTA, and Michael Melaniphy, President and Chief Executive Officer of APTA. The co-hosts will lead the discussions with high level representatives from the United States and world rail leaders that will take you on a high-speed rail tour throughout the world:
- Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation of the United States
- Ana María Pastor Julián, Minister of Public Works and Transport of Spain
- Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport of Canada
- Takeshi Maeda, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan
- Slawomir Nowak, Minister of Transport of Poland
- Binali Yildirim, Minister of Transport of Turkey
- Huawu He, Chief engineer, Ministry of Railways, P.R. China
- Marcel Verslype, Executive Director of European Railway Agency
- Mauro Moretti, CEO of FS, UIC Vice Chairman & Chairman of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER)
- Vladimir Yakunin, President of JSC Russian Railways RZD
- Guillaume Pepy, President of French Railways SNCF
- Marc Descheemaecker, CEO of Belgian Railways SNCB
Round tables
Two round table discussions will be led on the financing of high-speed lines and competition between modes in which the following guest participants will take part in the debates:
Round table 1 (12 July 2012) “How to Deliver a High-Speed Rail Project in Today’s Economic Context”
- Enrique Verdeguer, Chairman of the Spanish rail infrastructure manager ADIF
- Satoshi Seino, Chairman of JR East
- Kent Rowey, Americas Energy & Infrastructure, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Joseph H. Boardman, President & CEO of Amtrak
- Jianping Zhang, Chinese Ministry of Railways
- Michele Elia, CEO of the Italian rail infrastructure manager RFI/FS
- Andrew McNaughton, Chief Engineer for HS2 UK
- Andy Kunz, President & CEO of USHSR
- Marc Juhel, Sector Manager, Transport, World Bank
Round table 2 (13 July 2012) “What part can high-speed rail play in the future transport market?”
- Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator of Federal Railroad Administration
- Barbara Dalibard, CEO of SNCF Voyages, France
- Adrian Corry, Senior Consultant Public Transportation BMW Group Designworks, USA
- Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Dean, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania
- Chung Chang-Young, CEO & President of Korail, Korea
- Julio Gomez-Pomar, President of the Spanish rail operator RENFE
- Neil Peterson, Executive Adviser, CH2M Hill
- Vincenzo Soprano, CEO of Trenitalia/FS
Expert Panel Sessions
More than 130 experts from 18 countries were selected from an overwhelming number of abstracts received and are covering 25 sessions to discuss all issues linked to high-speed rail development: political and strategic planning, innovative financing solutions, technological innovations, energy and carbon balance, standards and interoperability, safety and security management, research, trends in commercial concepts and services, and partnerships. Special emphasis will be put on high speed corridors in the world such as the North American, Scandinavian, Eastern Europe, North African and Middle-East corridors.
UIC HIGHSPEED 2012 International Trade Exhibition
The trade exhibition will be held simultaneously with the World Congress and will provide a meeting platform where the latest technologies and developments in high-speed rail will be showcased. Railway manufacturers, railway undertakings, infrastructure companies, consultants, the supply industry and service companies will demonstrate their innovative products and services to visitors to the exhibition as well as the high-level congress participants.
Student Competition
Twelve students from China, Germany, Finland, Portugal, and the USA have been selected to attend the World Congress and will give, during the Closing Session on Friday, July 13, their impression of the conference and make a presentation of their submitted papers on the proposed issues:
- What are the primary obstacles to having new dedicated high-speed rail infrastructure built in the United States?
- Can the US afford not to invest in high-speed rail?
- What does an ideal high-speed rail station look like?
- What are the major reasons for limiting the commercial speed of high-speed rail and how can these be overcome?
The UIC HIGHSPEED 2012 program will also include technical tours facilitated by Amtrak.
More information is available on the UIC HIGHSPEED 2012 website:
1 - Mr Yoshio Ishida, UIC Chairman; 2 - Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General; 3 - Mr Gary Thomas, Chairman of APTA; 4 - Mr Michael Melaniphy, President and Chief Executive Officer of APTA; 5 - Mr Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation of the United States; 6 - Mrs Ana María Pastor Julián, Minister of Public Works and Transport of Spain; 7 - Mr Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport of Canada; 8 - Mr Takeshi Maeda, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan; 9 - Mr Slawomir Nowak, Minister of Transport of Poland; 10 - Binali Yildirim, Minister of Transport of Turkey; 11 - Mr Marcel Verslype, Executive Director of European Railway Agency; 12 - Mauro Moretti, CEO of FS, UIC Vice Chairman & Chairman of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER); 13 - Mr Vladimir Yakunin, President of JSC Russian Railways RZD; 14 - Mr Guillaume Pepy, President of French Railways SNCF; 15 - Mr Marc Descheemaecker, CEO of Belgium Railways SNCB
