The first session of SIAFI 2013, which took place at UIC headquarters, Paris from 27 – 31 May, was attended by managers/young talents of seven different nationalities from 11 railway companies, thus covering virtually all sectors of railway activity.
The varied backgrounds and competences of the SIAFI audience, together with the experience of participants, favoured rich and fruitful exchanges, debates and discussion.
Throughout the week, the attendees took part in extensive networking activities and exchange of information and practices.
The week was partly dedicated to presentations and discussions around topical subjects for the railways (overview of passenger market in the world, accessibility, high speed systems, sustainable development, external transport costs...), partly dedicated to project management and team work.
In order to better equip the attendees with relevant tools for their project work, a new session dedicated to “business model innovation” was introduced.
The first week was also the occasion to get acquainted with the international institutional and legal framework in which railway companies currently operate.
The first day of SIAFI brought together high-level representatives from major international railway stakeholders and partners – UIC, UNECE, CER, UNIFE and ERA in a round table discussion about their respective missions and vision for the future of rail.
On the second day participants became acquainted with the latest developments in international rail transport law and recent developments in EU transport policy.
Other railway activities (standardisation, freight, safety, research...) will be covered during the second SIAFI session in autumn to be held from 21 – 25 October 2013.
The networking activities and cross-cultural learning experience through the team work conducted throughout the week concluded with a formal half-day session on the intercultural dimension in the management of international projects.
Reflection on cross-cultural cooperation is part of the team project’s assignment and will result in a feedback session in October.
The topics eventually selected by participants were chosen from the list of selected UIC projects for SIAFI 2013:
- (1) Railway station in 2023,
- (2) International network of young talents in the railway.
The three constituted teams will continue working between the two sessions, with two coaching web conferences led by UIC and external consultancy.
Results of the project work will be delivered by the three teams in the second SIAFI week, in autumn (21 – 25 October).
Consult the website at http://www.uic.org/siafi/
