Leaders of the European Rail industry gathered today in Bucharest, Romania on the occasion of the 2015 European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) General Assembly. UNIFE members selected Bucharest for their General Assembly this year to demonstrate their hope that Romania and other countries in the region will absorb available EU structural funds to invest in their rail systems and also to draw attention to the enormous potential of the Romanian rail market.

UNIFE and CER participated in the 3rd meeting of the EU-Japan Industrial Dialogue on Railways, which took place on 21 May in Brussels. The meeting was organised by the European Commission and the Japanese government and facilitated exchanges on critical topics addressed in the EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, especially market access issues and technical regulations and standards.

The undersigned stakeholder associations highlight the important need for investment in transport infrastructure. In the TEN-T Guidelines, the European Parliament and Member States have agreed on a policy that is to guide decisions as to which transport projects should receive funding as a matter of priority.

The European Railway Award 2015 was presented today to Lord Andrew Adonis, former Secretary of State for Transport in the UK (2009-2010), and to industrial designer Alexander Neumeister.

Following the agreement of the Member States to accept the Commission’s proposal to lift the EU objection to the delisting of three Japanese Railways (JR East, Central and West), the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) calls on the EU negotiating party to make efforts to guarantee market access opportunities for European suppliers in rail transport procurement in Japan.

BUCHAREST—On the occasion of the Club Feroviar & AIF “Railway Days Wider Black Sea Area Railway Investment Summit” in Bucharest, UNIFE, in support of its Associated Member, the Romanian Railway Industry Association, AIF, would like to bring attention to the challenging situation and outlook of the Romanian Rail system with regard to the draft General Transport Master Plan outlined by the current Romanian Government which proposes a drastic reduction in the existing railway lines in the country.

On 8 October, EU Transport Ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the Fourth Railway Package. In view of this important meeting, UNIFE and CER reiterate the European rail sector´s concerns on the lack of action on the Package’s Technical Pillar (i.e. the revision of the Regulation establishing a European Railway Agency, the Directive on rail interoperability and the Directive on rail safety).

NEW YORK CITY—On 23 September, UNIFE, the European Rail Industry Association, participated in the United Nations Climate Summit hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York City. The main objectives of the Climate Summit were to catalyse ambitious action from stakeholders and to mobilise the political will for an ambitious legally-binding global climate agreement at the COP 21 in Paris (2015).

BERLIN—Despite low economic growth and public deficit problems in several important countries, the world rail supply industry steadily grew at approximately 1.5% per annum in the period from 2011 to 2013, according to the 2014 UNIFE World Rail Market Study released today at InnoTrans. 

BRUSSELS—European Commission President José Manuel Barroso greeted CEOs and leadership of seven public private partnerships set up under the EU’s new research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020. 

UNIFE and CER encourage the Member States to consider a transport dimension for the post 2020 climate and energy policies ahead of the European Council that will take place on 26-27 June. 

BRUSSELS—On the day of the EU Trade Policy Committee and in the progress review of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by Member States, the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) wishes to reiterate the importance of achieving a level playing field between the EU and Japanese rail markets.

BRUSSELS—On 1 July, the Italian Presidency will start its work taking over from Greece. CER Executive Director Libor Lochman and UNIFE Director General Philippe Citroën are looking forward to working with the Presidency and wish them a successful period.

LUXEMBOURG—UNIFE—the European Rail Industry Association, on behalf of the 125 organisations promoting the SHIFT²RAIL initiative, lauds the Council of the European Union’s final adoption of the Regulation establishing the SHIFT²RAIL Joint Undertaking. 

LONDON — UNIFE, gathered its members, business leaders from European rail supply manufacturing companies, together in London today on the occasion of the 23rd General Assembly meeting. This General Assembly marks the end of the Chairmanship term of Henri Poupart-Lafarge, President of Alstom Transport, and after a unanimous vote during the UNIFE Statutory Meeting, Lutz Bertling, President and COO of Bombardier Transportation was elected as the new Chairman of UNIFE.

LUXEMBOURG—Today, the Council of Ministers reached political agreements on the three texts of the Technical Pillar of the Fourth Railway Package. UNIFE welcomes this progress made on the Technical Pillar and would like to thank the Council and the Greek Presidency for their work on this legislation.

BRUSSELS—On the day of the EU-Japan Summit and in the progress review of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by Member States, the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) wishes to reiterate the importance of achieving a level playing field between the EU and Japanese rail markets. 

BRUSSELS—UNIFE and CER actively participated in the first meeting of the EU-Japan Industrial Dialogue on Railways, which took place on 27 March in Brussels. The Industrial Dialogue was organised by the European Commission and the Japanese government and facilitated exchanges on critical topics addressed in the EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, including technical regulations and safety standards, railways markets and market access issues.

BRUSSELS—Today, the Transport Council reached a general approach on the Regulation on the European Railway Agency (ERA). With this agreement, the Council has completed the work on the technical pillar of the Fourth Railway Package which consists of the revised Interoperability Directive, the Safety Directive, and the ERA Regulation.

BRUSSELS—UNIFE, the European Rail Industry Association, on behalf of the 115 organisations promoting the SHIFT²RAIL initiative, lauds the Council of the European Union’s adoption of a favourable position on the regulation establishing the SHIFT²RAIL Joint Undertaking.

BRUSSELS—UNIFE welcomes the voting outcome of the European Parliament on the Fourth Railway Package on 26 February 2014. In particular, UNIFE appreciates the work and commitment of the Members of the European Parliament on the Technical Pillar of the Package.

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BRUSSELS—On 17 December 2013, the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament voted on the Fourth Railway Package. UNIFE, the Association of the European rail industry, welcomes the vote and thanks the Members of the TRAN Committee for their work on the Technical Pillar of the Package.

UNIFE—the European Rail Industry Association, on behalf of the 80 organisations promoting the SHIFT²RAIL initiative, welcomes the publication today of the European Commission’s proposal for a Council regulation establishing the SHIFT²RAIL Joint Undertaking (JU). 

The Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE), the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), the International Union for Road-Rail combined transport (UIRR) and the International Union of Railways (UIC) confirm their strong support for the Technical Pillar of the Fourth Railway Package.

WARSAW—On 17 November, UNIFE participated in Transport Day 2013, an event dedicated to sustainable, low-carbon transport and taking place during the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Warsaw. The event was organized by the Bridging the Gap Initiative and the SLoCaT Partnership. It was supported by seventeen organisations including UNIFE, UIC and UITP, and attended by over 150 participants from all over the world.

The aims of the conference were:

• To demonstrate the contribution that transport can make to mitigation and adaptation, specifically in the context of sustainable development;
• To promote the integration of transport in policy making on climate change mitigation and adaptation under the UNFCCC;
• To ensure that modalities for financing, capacity building, and technology transfer under the UNFCCC are appropriate for the transport sector.

During the opening session, UNIFE Director General Philippe Citroën intervened along with high-level speakers such as Nikhil Seth, Director Sustainable Development Division in UN-DESA representing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. On behalf of Transport Day 2013 Supporting Organizations, Philippe Citroën commented, “Transport policies and technologies have already proven their mitigation potential, and the new global agreement represents a unique opportunity to fully encapsulate this potential in order to scale them up.” UNIFE was also represented by Giles Dickson, Vice President Environmental Policies and Global Advocacy at Alstom, in a stream on policy making on sustainable, low carbon transport in the developing world. Giles Dickson said: “Rail technologies are already clean and keep improving. Rail can have a huge impact in combatting climate change, but policies have to be right.”

The Warsaw Statement on Low Carbon Transport and Sustainable Development, which UNIFE endorsed, was officially adopted at the end of the event. The Warsaw Statement contains recommendations on how to strengthen the integration of sustainable, low carbon transport in the UNFCCC process, especially the new global agreement on climate change.

Transport Day 2013 is the first of three annual events dedicated to the promotion of sustainable low-carbon transport in a global context preceding the 2015 Paris conference that should define the post-2020 international climate framework. The event built upon previous cooperation work amongst sustainable transport stakeholders such as during COP18 (Doha), when UNIFE co-organised a side event on “Transport and our low carbon future”.

More information can be found on the website of SLoCaT: http://www.slocat.net/

WASHINGTON, DC—The European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reinforce ties between the European and American rail sectors.

The MoU was signed last evening by Philippe Citroën (Director General of UNIFE) and Michael Melaniphy (President and CEO of APTA) at a reception hosted by the European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington. This agreement outlines a framework for cooperation and information exchange between the two associations. The signing of this MoU will be followed by meetings throughout the week between APTA, UNIFE, and their members on a number of topics.

Philippe Citroën commented, “UNIFE is very pleased to formally establish a link with APTA, and we look forward to continued collaboration on our shared challenges. In addition to sharing many of the same members, APTA and UNIFE have the common goal of promoting rail and public transportation as a solution to future mobility challenges. This MoU follows in the footsteps of an existing MoU between the Federal Railroad Administration and the European Rail Agency signed in 2012 and will add to the transatlantic dialogue and best practice sharing in the domain of rail transport.”

Michael Melaniphy said: “APTA is delighted to work closely with UNIFE, and we look forward to close cooperation and collaboration as both organizations work to advance rail transportation. The European and United States rail sectors have much to learn from each other. This Memorandum of Understanding facilitates the sharing of best practices and the robust exchange of information in technical and policy areas.”

The Association of the European Railway Industry (UNIFE), the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), the European Passenger Train and Traction Operating Lessors Association (EPPTOLA),

MOSCOW—At the occasion of the 4th International Rail Salon EXPO 1520 in Moscow, UNIFE, the European Rail Industry, and UIRE, the Russian Union of Industries of Railway Equipment signed a Memorandum of Understanding and cooperation to reinforce ties between the European and Russian railway sectors.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) emphasise their support for the Fourth Railway Package’s Technical Pillar and appreciate the European Parliament and Council intensive work to improve it. They therefore encourage the Council to assign the agreed principles of the Interoperability Directive to the Safety Directive.

At the UNIFE—The European Rail Industry Association 2013 General Assembly meeting in Vienna, Austria, Deputy Head of Unit, Sustainable Mobility and Automotive Unit from the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry, Barbara Bonvissuto, announced the publication of its survey on the Competitiveness of the European rail supply industry.

BERLIN—Among other messages, the document called upon governments to “support the development of sustainable transport systems, including energy efficient multimodal transport systems, notably public mass transportation systems.”

CER, UNIFE, UIP, EPTTOLA and UITP wish to confirm their strong support for the Technical Pillar of the Fourth Railway Package and stress the importance and urgency for reaching an agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament on this part of the proposal as laid out in the compromise text prepared by the Irish Presidency in April 2013.

The new proposal from the European Commission to revise Directive 1996/53 published today (Monday 15 April), will allow vehicles which exceed the current European truck limits of 40 tonnes (44 tonnes if part of combined transport) and 18.75m in length to cross borders between countries if both countries agree.

Today, 19 March 2013, the Platform for the Electrification of Surface Transport is holding its maiden event at the Hotel Renaissance in Brussels, starting at 18.30.

UNIFE welcomes the proposal of the European Commission for the Fourth Railway Package. UNIFE shares the Commission’s objectives of competitive rail transport in Europe and of the creation of a Single European Railway Area.

Copenhagen, 16 April 2012 – UNIFE, the European Rail Industry, welcomed today the signature of a new Memorandum of Understanding on ERTMS involving the European Commission, the European Railway Agency and the railway associations (CER, UIC, UNIFE, EIM, GSM-R Industry Group and ERFA) during a Danish Presidency event in Copenhagen, which has been jointly chaired by Danish Transport Minister Henrik Dam Kristensen and Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Railway Industry (UNIFE) generally welcome the overall approach on the European Commission proposal for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Guidelines reached by EU transport ministers on 22 March. At the same time they urge member states to ensure the availability of the necessary financial means to make the proposed networks reality.

Copenhagen 8 March 2012 – Members of the UNIFE top management met with the Danish Transport Minister and current Chairman of the EU Transport Council Henrik Dam Kristensen to present the industry’s priorities for the first semester of 2012.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE) presented their joint vision on the future role of the European Railway Agency (ERA).

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), and the European Rail Industry (UNIFE) welcome the own initiative report of Mr. Grosch on a Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area adopted today by the European Parliament.

The carbon footprint of high speed rail can be up to 14 times less carbon intensive than car travel and up to 15 times less than aviation even when measured over the full life-cycle of planning, construction and operation.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) and the European Rail Industry (UNIFE) welcome the publication today of the long anticipated Transport White Paper setting out the EU transport policy for the next ten years including perspectives up to 2050.