A Global Vision for Railway Development (GVRD)
The International Railway Research Board (IRRB) has prepared the UIC Global Vision for Railway Development (GVRD) structured around the core themes set out in the strategic documents of the UIC Regions (e.g. Challenge 2050, Rail Technical Strategy Europe (RTSE), Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy and the strategy paper of the African Region, Destination 2040), as well as other relevant documents such as the Strategic Rail Research and Innovation Agenda (SRRIA) published by ERRAC, the European Rail Research Advisory Council.
The GVRD can help railways develop and optimise rail systems of the future in order to realise opportunities and satisfy customer and societal requirements.
To meet the numerous challenges ahead (demographic development, climate change, etc.) the global rail sector must increasingly rely on its innovative potential so as to deliver smart solutions as regards safety, security, punctuality, availability, accessibility, seamless operation, capacity, connectivity, sustainability and other performances.
The greatest challenge, however, is to meet all the above goals while remaining economically affordable for everybody in countries all around the world, and not only in those with a high per capita income.
In this strategic process which requires continuous improvement, fine-tuning and adaptation, UIC plays a crucial role as driver, disseminator, knowledge manager as well as platform for discussion and exchange of experience and best practice.
UIC takes a holistic approach, keeping in view the effects of each measure considered on the railway system as a whole, preparing the different possible ways to reach the future “Digital railway”.
Being a global organisation, UIC has the vision of global dimension of the railways, which requires for better efficiency and effectiveness a convergence of currently existing technical systems and solutions.
In order to achieve economies of scale and seamlessness of operation, UIC has continued its efforts to bring national and regional specificities of the rail system closer together – where such specificities are unavoidable – to optimise their inclusion into a globally coherent and interoperable system. International Railway Standards (IRS) are also an important factor in achieving this.
For further information please visit:
http://uic.org/com/uic-e-news/477/#article5768
ERRAC (European Rail Research Advisory Council)
ERRAC, the Joint Technology Platform for rail, brings together all major rail stakeholders involved in European rail research and innovation developments. With the strong support from the European Commission, ERRAC relies on a unique competence and capability to guide research efforts at European level as it comprises representatives from all the major European rail research stakeholders: operators, infrastructure managers, manufacturers, the European Commission, EU Member States, academics and user groups. This platform covers all forms of rail transport: from conventional, high speed and freight applications to urban and regional services.
As the representative of the European Rail Operating Community, UIC is a major actor of this platform. Responsible for the presidency and supporting the European Manufacturing industry association (UNIFE), with the secretariat, UIC also coordinated the recently-ended FOSTER-RAIL project.
For further information please visit: http://www.errac.org
SPARK: Share rail knowledge and drive innovation
Since 2012, UIC and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) in the UK have worked together in partnership to develop and deliver a knowledge platform for the benefit of both members of UIC and RSSB, and the global railway community. SPARK is a free, interactive web tool for the rail sector to share and find key information and help drive innovation. SPARK users create a community of professionals working together to reduce duplication, speed up innovation and maximise value.
Join SPARK! www.sparkrail.org
