Press release

Rail sector presents research priorities to achieve doubling of railways’ market share in freight and passenger transport by 2020.

Today, the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) - representing the major stakeholders of rail research in Europe - publishes its strategic agenda 2020. At a reception in the Rennaissance Palace in Brussel, ERRAC Chairman Åke Wennberg (Bombardier Transportation) explains in presence of Andras Siegler, Director for Transport in the Research Directorate-General of the European Commission, where innovative solutions in rail transport are needed in order to achieve the vision 2020 of doubling market shares and tripling volumes for rail transport.

In their Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020, operators, infrastructure managers, academics and users’ groups, together with the European Commission and Member States identify seven priority research areas:

• Intelligent Mobility – for a European-wide infrastructure to support customer information systems.
• Energy and Environment - increasing the level of environmental protection and safeguarding the commercial competitiveness of rail.
• Personal Security - improving security for customers and staff.
• Test, Homologation and Security - speeding up of product approvals while squeezing out risk through improved safety management.
• Competitiveness and enabling technologies - improving product attractiveness for customers and reducing life cycle costs through modern technology.
• Strategy and Economics – developing new accounting and planning models for the costs of rail infrastructure.
• Infrastructure – developing cost efficient maintenance, and maintenance-free interoperable infrastructure systems.

ERRAC Chairman Åke Wennberg said: “By focusing all our efforts on these priority areas, our ambitious vision 2020 can become a reality. The co-operation of the stakeholders within ERRAC allows the most efficient use of all available research resources with this target in view. The agreement on the Strategic Rail Research Agenda is an important milestone of this co-ordinated approach.”

ERRAC is a body set up on the initiative of the European Commission in order to reach consensus on priorities for European railway research and to guide research efforts towards a common strategy. ERRAC, a unique body of this kind, brings together railway undertakings and infrastructure companies, public transport operators, manufacturing industry, and representatives of the EU Member States, European Commission, customer groups, consultants and academic institutions.

ERRAC partners are: the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the Union of European Railway Industries (UNIFE) 

The Strategic Rail Research Agenda will be presented
today at 16.30 in the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels.

Press contacts
CER: Elke Schänzler, Tel: + 32 2 213 0890, Fax: + 32 2 5125231, elke.schaenzler@cer.be
EIM: Veerle Abeel, Tel: +32 2 2343773, Fax +32 2 2343778, veerle.abeel@eimrail.org
UITP: Cara McLaughlin, Tel: + 32 2 663 66 39, Fax: +32 2 673 61 00, cara.mclaughlin@uitp.com
UIC: Liesbeth de Jong, Tel: +33 1 4449 2053, DEJONG@uic.asso.fr
UNIFE: Giorgio Travaini, : Tel: +32 2 642 23 21, Fax: + 32 2 626 12 61, giorgio.travaini@unife.org

The Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020 is available at the ERRAC secretariat (Tel: +32 2 642 23 21, giorgio.travaini@unife.org).

Or you can download it here:

Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020

Presentation of the Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020

Dear Madam/Sir,
The European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) is pleased to invite you to the presentation of the publication of the Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020 (SRRA) which identifies key research objectives to ensure that rail remains at the heart of Europe’s transport system over the next decade and a half.  

27 June 2007
16:30 – 18:00h
 
Renaissance Hotel
Rue du Parnasse 19
1050 Brussels
 
Guest speaker:
 
Andreas Siegler
Director for Transport,
Research Directorate-General, European Commission
 
ERRAC comprises of 45 representatives from each of the major European rail research stakeholders: manufacturers, operators, infrastructure managers, the European Commission, EU Member States, academics and users’ groups. ERRAC covers all forms of rail transport: from conventional, high speed and freight applications to urban and regional services.

ERRAC Partner organisations:

Programme

16:30h Welcome Drinks

Presentation of the Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020:

ERRAC Chairman Ake Wennberg (Bombardier Transportation)

Guest speaker:
 
Andreas Siegler, Director for Transport,
Research Directorate-General, European Commission

18:00h End of the Event

Please reply by 20 June to giorgio.travaini@unife.org

ERRAC study : Suburban and Regional Railway Landscape in Europe

Through the elaboration of the three railway packages, cross-border transport by train has been very much in the front of European Affairs over the past decades, starting from International High Speed and Freight rail and later extended to Conventional Rail networks. However, in spite of the impact of the railway packages on Suburban and Regional railway transport, the reality of this sector has never really been described in depth.

The ambition of this publication is to provide a reliable overview of what the sector represents. Who are the actors, what is their contribution to economy, mobility and urban and regional development. UITP, in the frame of the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) conducted an investigation in 29 European countries. This publication sheds new light on the whole sector that represents:

•  220 companies
•  360 000 staff members
•  21,7 billion turnover per year
•  More than 6,8 billion passengers a year

This study illustrates that far from being anecdotic, regional and suburban railway transport are at the heart of the railway industry. So far, the European Union institutions have focussed their legislation on transportation which has resulted in the adoption of technical specifications that, if extended in scope, might hamper regional and local traffic with very limited benefits or possibly negative impact for them. This study radically changes the perspective on the whole sector and on the most efficient way to implement future legislation.

Click here to read the complete ERRAC study 'Suburban and Regional Railway Landscape in Europe' (pdf document, 1.8Mb)

International Conference on European Technology Platforms

On the 4-5th of May 2006 ERRAC participated in the International Conference on European Technology Platforms which was held at the initiative of the Austrian Presidency of the EU in Vienna. This high-level event was co-organised by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Austrian Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA) and the European Commission, Directorate General for Research. This conference for the first time offered the European Technology Platforms (ETPs) an opportunity to meet each other and to exchange experiences, to discuss common challenges and ideas for the future, to identify potential synergies.
 
The conference was accompanied by an exhibition where the participating ETPs could present information about their platform, main activities etc. ERRAC was present at this exhibition with the poster stand and ERRAC brochures (general ERRAC leaflet and Rail21 publication).
 
The ERRAC delegation at the event included Mr. Åke Wennberg (ERRAC Chairman), Mr. Philippe Renard (ERRAC Vice Chairman), Mr. Klaas Hofstra (ERRAC Project Manager) and Ms. Nailia Dindarova (ERRAC Secretariat).
 
The conference was opened by the following high-level speakers:  Mr. Janez Potočnik, (European Commissioner for Science and Research), Mr. Martin Bartenstein (Austrian Minister of Economics and Labour), Mr. Vittorio Prodi (Member of the European Parliament, Italy), Ms. Henrietta Egerth (Director, Austrian Research Promotion Agency).  The concluding remarks at the closure of the conference were made by Mr. José Manuel Silva Rodríguez (Director General of DG Research, European Commission) and Mr. Michael Losch (Austrian Presidency, Director General, Austrian Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour).
 
The final programme of the event, as well as the list of participants and proceedings from the conference will soon be available on the dedicated ETP Conference website:
http://www.bit.or.at/technologyplatforms/

Vision and targets for future railway systems
presented to EC Research Commissioner

At the UNIFE Annual Reception on the 8th of March the partner associations of the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) presented their vision and research targets for future railway systems – 'Rail21: Sustainable rail systems for a connected Europe’ – to EU Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

'Rail21’ explains how, with the appropriate investment, targeted European research can meet the key economic and social challenges of the European Union.

Commissioner Potočnik welcomed ‘Rail21’, which sets research targets for the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013), as a “clear demonstration of [ERRAC’s] intentions” and acknowledged the contribution of ERRAC in framing the Work Programme for the Sixth Research Framework Programme.

Europe’s railways provide a vital transport infrastructure supporting citizens and businesses through increasingly fast, efficient and comfortable passenger travel as well as the timely shipment of freight around the continent. However, a large part of the European network is already working to its maximum capacity and customer expectations are increasing. “New technologies are needed in order to meet these demands and further enhance the role that railways play in providing reliable, affordable, safe and environmentally-friendly transport for long and short distances,” stressed ERRAC Chairman, Åke Wennberg.

‘Rail21’ sets five broad targets for collaborative surface transport research: excellence in operations, solutions for attractive urban transport, personal security, environmental performance and worldwide competitiveness of the rail industry.

The publication also presents success stories which prove that investment in rail research is repaid many times over as railways offer ever better, faster, safer services to passengers and freight forwarders, leading to an improved environment, reduced congestion in cities and on motorways, as well as greater choice for the traveller.

ERRAC is a body set up on the initiative of the European Commission in order to reach consensus on priorities for European railway research and to guide research efforts towards a common strategy. ERRAC, a unique body of this kind, brings together railway undertakings and infrastructure companies, public transport operators, manufacturing industry, and representatives of the EU Member States, European Commission, customer groups, consultants and academic institutions.

ERRAC partners are: the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the Union of European Railway Industries (UNIFE).

Press contacts
CER: Elke Schänzler, Tel: + 32 2 213 0890, Fax: + 32 2 5125231
EIM: Veerle Abeel, Tel: +32 2 2343773, Fax +32 2 2343778, veerle.abeel@eimrail.org
UITP: Isabelle Valentiny, Tel: +32 2 663 66 72, Fax: +32 2 6601072, isabelle.valentiny@uitp.com
UIC: Liesbeth de Jong, Tel: +33 1 444 92053, dejong@uic.asso.fr
UNIFE: Magali Merindol, Tel: +32 2 626 12 67, Fax: +32 2 626 12 61, Magali.Merindol@unife.org

‘Rail21: Sustainable rail systems for a connected Europe’ is available from the ERRAC secretariat, email nailia.dindarova@unife.org.

Electronic version of "Rail21: Sustainable rail systems for a connected Europe” can be downloaded here (Acrobat Pdf file, 554Kb)

ERRAC Information Seminar
Brussels, 12th October 2005

All stakeholders from the European rail sector committed to enhance railways’ competitiveness and value for society through common research strategy.

An information event on the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) with the theme “Rail research: driving competitiveness, moving society”,  took place in Brussels on 12 October 2005 with the participation of over one hundred participants including officials from the European Commission and the European Parliament, research experts from the railway sector, representatives of the industry, consultants and universities.

The objective of this session was to report on progress achieved by ERRAC, the body set up on the initiative of the European Commission in order to reach consensus on priorities for European railway research and guide research efforts towards a common strategy. For this purpose, ERRAC, a unique body of this kind, brings together railway undertakings and infrastructure companies, public transport operators, manufacturing industry, representatives of the EU Member States, European Commission, customer groups, consultants and academic institutions and facilitates a closer cooperation at European level.

Giles Chichester, MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, opened the event providing up-to-date information on the prospects for research funding seen from the perspective of the European Parliament.

Jack Metthey, Director, DG Research, European Commission gave the Commission’s perspective on railway research, its importance for the transport market, the competitiveness of European industry and expectations of the society.

Åke Wennberg, from Bombardier Transportation, UNIFE, and Chairman of ERRAC, presented the main challenges facing railway research today:

1. increase overall competitiveness and attractiveness of rail transport,
2. maintain and improve the railway advantages in terms of environmental performance,
3. increase capacity and enhance infrastructure for better meeting the transport demand in the EU,
4. improve value for money to achieve economic sustainability vis-à-vis other transport modes.

The ERRAC activities are coordinated within the 1st SRRA - Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020. Among the first achievements are the pooling of corporate, national and European resources for research and the creation of an industry knowledge base. Key priorities for railway research and corresponding budgets (taking into account EU support for the 6th Framework Programme) have been defined.

Priorities concern: interoperability, intelligent mobility, environment, safety, innovative material and production methods. Next steps include the production of the “Rail 21 Vision” and the preparation of a second Strategic agenda – 2nd SRRA – that will provide priorities for railway sector up to 2025 and is based on this new Vision. ERRAC also acts as an advisor to the European Commission for the development of the 7th Research Framework Programme priorities. The Commission appreciates the fact that ERRAC provides such a strong representation of European rail research stakeholders and is receptive to its proposals.

These reflections on the future of rail transport and resulting new research needs were also the theme of the round table discussion moderated by Murray Hughes, Railway Gazette International, which provided an opportunity for lively debates on the vision. The participants were apart from Giles Chichester: Christopher Irwin, European Passengers’ Federation, representing the consumers’ point of view, Luisa Prista, Head of Unit Surface Transport, DG Research, European Commission, Prof. Manuel Pereira, Deputy rector ofTechnical University of Lisbon and ERRAC Vice-Chairman, and Philippe Renard, Director Innovation and Research, SNCF, Chairman of UIC Forum Research and Technology, and ERRAC Vice-Chairman.

Download the presentation by Mr Wennberg (PowerPoint file, 4,3Mb)
Download the programme (Pdf file, 69Kb)
Download the background note (Pdf file, 76Kb)
View the Photo Gallery