The ONCF Director General M.Mohammed Rabie Khlie, Chairman of the UIC African Region visited UIC headquarters with Mr Said Chandid, Chief of ONCF’s Strategy Department, to take the first steps in preparation for “Next Station 2015”, the International Conference on Railway Stations, to be held in Morocco.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by the UIC Coordinator for the African Region, Mr J. Wisniewski, as well as Mr I. Barron, Director of the UIC Passenger and High Speed Department and Mr P. Véron, Director of the UIC Communications Department.

Mr Chandid gave an update of the situation in the African Region, which is currently facing the Ebola virus and growing economic difficulties. He underlined that despite everything, the activities are still continuing in the organisation of a training seminar on track maintenance to take place at Rabat ONCF training centre from 20 – 31 October, where more than 10 African railways have already registered participants. The event is expected to be a success.

Safety/security and track maintenance will remain the motto of the African Region, as part of the activities to be developed in 2015.

A seminar on railway interconnection and interoperability will also be taking place in the first term of 2015 in North Africa.

During the meeting, the first ideas for the organisation of “Next Station”, the 5th UIC International Conference on Railway Stations, were clarified. The conference will be held by the end of 2015 (exact date still to be confirmed) in Marrakech. The slogan for this conference will be “The station: conceiving the intermodal mobility of the future” and, as usual, will involve the key players in charge of the design and operation of railway stations around the world. The Scientific Committee in charge of deciding on the speakers and speeches will be led by the Chairman of the UIC SMGG (“Stations Managers Global Group”), Carlos Ventura, Director of the Stations Department at Adif (Spain).