Following the success of the first four editions (2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013) in Rome, Paris, Brussels and Moscow, the International Union of Railways (UIC), in close collaboration with Moroccan State Railways (ONCF), are organising the 5th “Next Station” Conference held under the overarching theme Rethinking stations for future intermobility, which will take place on 21 and 22 October in Marrakech.
“Next Station” has become a worldwide meeting place for professionals, territorial authorities, researchers and anyone interested in the theme of the conference.
Railway stations are generally viewed from three different perspectives: passenger access to trains, business opportunities due to a high concentration of people every day and the relationship between the city and the other modes of transport.
As part of this approach, the Station Managers’ Global Group (SMGG) has been conducting its activities since 2005. One of the most notable actions of this working group is the organisation of the 2015 “Next Station” Conference. Alongside this, the group also conducts other activities centred around railway stations such as governance, classification, signalling, railway station unit…
Main features of this conference:
• Estimated attendance: 400 people
• Location: Marrakech
• Professional trade fair with booths
• Structure of event: two plenary sessions (opening and concluding), one round table, eight sessions and technical visits
• Working languages: Arabic, French and English. Any other language is possible as long as the speaker provides an interpreter
Eight themes are included in this year’s conference programme:
1) Design (intermodality, capacity, flexibility, flow management, type of station, accessibility, sustainable development, etc.)
2) Technologies, (intermodal information, management of facilities, ticketing, services, security, etc.)
3) Overall protection (management of public spaces and sense of security, impacts on design, etc.)
4) Enhance the added value for customers: services, shops, retail outlets, cultural activities, performance of intermodal system, accessibility…
5) Development and management of stations (design, business approach, management of the railway station “hub”, governance, integration into the urban environment, etc.)
6) Territorial planning (urban/local integration, urban impacts, socio-economic impacts, financing of infrastructure, multi-partner intermobility, infrastructure, etc.)
7) High speed railway stations (with specific services, traffic trends, flow management, impact on territorial development, etc.)
8) UIC activities and academic research
The alternating plenary sessions, round tables and parallel sessions will also enable participants to contribute to discussions and hear a wide range of viewpoints on general aspects as well as more targeted issues.
The proposed presentations should come under one of the eight themes to be discussed.
In order to be considered, applicants are invited to provide Mr Marc Guigon (guigon@uic.org) with the following:
• Deadline for submission: Friday 24 April 2015
• CV (with photo): half a page
• Completed application form (including a short summary of the presentation)
• Outline of the presentation (two pages maximum)
The selection process will take place on 4 June 2015.
If your paper is selected, the final (PowerPoint) presentation should be submitted by 1 September 2015. A template will be provided on the website to ensure that speakers use a harmonised presentation format throughout the conference.
To register and attend the various sessions of Next Station 2015, please complete the Registration section on the website www.nextstation2015.com.
Registration is free of charge for speakers.
You can benefit from a reduction on accommodation as part of the event.
Further information will also be available at the conference venue.
On behalf of UIC and ONCF, we hope that you will follow up on our call.
For any further details please contact:
UIC: Mr Iñaki Barron – barron@uic.org
UIC: Mr Marc Guigon – guigon@uic.org
UIC: Mrs Mouna Bennouna – bennouna@uic.org
ONCF: Mr Tewfik Bouarif – bouarif@oncf.ma
We look forward to welcoming you to Marrakech in October.
Best regards
The “Next Station 2015” team
