HIGH SPEED OPERATOR, HS1, AND UK INFRASTRUCTURE OWNER & MANAGER, NETWORK RAIL, SPONSOR NEW AWARDS

The European Rail Congress is proud to announce High Speed 1 and Network Rail as our new headline sponsors to support this exciting new venture.

High Speed 1 is the railway between St Pancras in London and the Channel Tunnel and connects with the international high speed routes between London and Paris, and London and Brussels. HS1 Ltd holds the concession from government to operate, manage and maintain the high-speed railway infrastructure until December 2040. HS1 Ltd is also the owner of the stations along the route.

Network Rail is the not for dividend owner and operator of Britain's railway infrastructure, which includes the tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, viaducts, level crossings and stations - the largest of which it also manages. It aims to provide a safe, reliable and efficient rail infrastructure for freight and passenger trains to use.

We are also delighted to have on board as sponsors, Bombardier, one of the global leaders in rail technology with 62 production and engineering sites as well as 18 service centres in 26 countries and Thales, a French multinational company and world leader in advanced rail technology & equipment, providing rail signalling, communications and security solutions for transport authorities and operators.

If you would like to get involved with sponsoring these exciting and prestigious new Awards, then get in touch with Isabel Poulton, [email protected] or call +44 (0)1236 739577.

Cities today face diverse challenges deriving from mega trends like urbanization and population growth, CO2 emission, congestion and high real estate value with limited land availability.

We all love cities. As the lively hubs of commerce and culture, cities naturally attract people. Today's statistics show that already around 50% of the world's population lives in, or around a city. By 2050, this proportion could reach around 70%. The implications for mobility are profound if we want to have cities where we can live and people's transport behaviour is driven by convenience - the convenience of easily accessible, time efficient, affordable, safe and green transport door-to-door. Transit systems are the most efficient and environmentally-friendly way to transport thousands of people quickly, comfortably and directly to their destinations.

CO2 emissions contribute significantly to climate change. The public has recognized this and many countries and cities have committed to meet certain CO2 reduction targets. Rail transportation has existed as a form of electric mobility for more than 100 years and produces significantly lower CO2 emissions than other modes of motorized transport. In Europe, rail contributes only 0.6% of CO2 emission while providing 8% of passenger and 17 of freight transport. In contrast, non-electric automotive transport accounted for 71% of CO2 emissions*. READ MORE...

Attributed to Dagmar Blume, Senior Director, Strategy and Sales Governance, Systems division, Bombardier Transportation

RAIL EFFICIENCY IS ABOUT MORE THAN
CUTTING COSTS!

The UK Transport Select Committee is asking how effective EU policy on separating rail operators and infrastructure providers has been and whether promotion of competition has come at the expense of social benefits.

The debate about the future of the railway has been dominated recently by Sir Roy McNulty's study of the value for money in the industry. He concluded that there was a 40% efficiency gap between the UK railway and four European comparators - France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. He identified scope for both Network Rail and train operating companies to make savings, suggesting that a 30% reduction in cost per passenger kilometre could be achieved by 2018 / 19. READ MORE...