The 7th edition of this summit, organised by Club Ferroviar and dealing mainly with the investment issue, was held in Bucharest on 9 and 10 October and attended by over 300 decision-makers – dealing with the drafting and implementation of investment policies on railway infrastructure development, railway freight and passenger transport and public transport in the Wider Black Sea Area (WBSA) – as well as by private investors and institutions.

Among UIC members were representatives from CFR SA, CFR Marfă, CFR Călători, ÖBB, MAV Start, ProRail, SZDC, GFR, etc. as well as representatives from UNIFE, CER, FERMMED, CCTT, the European Commission (Single European Rail Area DG MOVE), the European Railway Agency, etc.

UIC was represented by Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director-General, who gave an opening speech on “Building the Wider Black Sea Area political and financial framework to 2020”. During this summit, he highlighted that “rail can be so important in Romania for the development of its economy and also for integration within the greater region, which is the theme of this conference. UIC is greatly involved in promoting rail as a technical system of integration, in particular with the long-term development of international corridors.”

The Wider Black Sea Area, a median area of the Eurasian platform, has witnessed an intense economic evolution which has to be supported and stimulated also through railway investments in order to facilitate the interconnection of regional, national and transcontinental railway networks, thus increasing the sustainable mobility of freight and passengers. Intense industrial activity, rising domestic consumption, increasing direct foreign investments – especially in the eastern side of the WBSA – and the boost in trade volumes on the East-West axis are the main factors that trigger railway development opportunities.