European Rail Research Advisory Council presents a bold vision for the future

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The Brussels Midi train station was the fitting setting for a ceremony in which the European Rail Research Council (ERRAC) presented the Strategic Rail Research Agenda 2020 (SRRA) to Philippe Busquin, member of the European Commission responsible for research, on December 18, 2002.

Turning point The document, subtitled “A Turning Point for European Rail Research,” indeed represents a watershed in the history of collaborative railway research.

ERRAC was launched a year ago when, for the first time, railway operators and manufacturers, infrastructure managers, public transport operators, the European Commission, the member states of the European Union, the academic world and customers associations joined together to produce a program of joint research.

Ambitious objectives
The research agenda, the result of intensive work by all the key players in the railway sector, sets out steps necessary to achieve ERRAC’s ambitious objectives of shaping a revitalized European railway system for the 21st century that meets the needs of European citizens and is environmentally sustainable.

The SRRA identifies interoperability, intelligent mobility, safety and security, and environmentally friendly materials and production methods as key areas where collaborative, pre-competitive research is needed.

Speaking at the event in his role as chairman of Union of European Rail Industries (UNIFE), Michel Moreau, president of ALSTOM Transport, said: “UNIFE acknowledges the need for pre-competitive research aimed at the development of harmonized and interchangeable railway systems leading to an integrated railway area in the European Union.”

For more information:

Speech by Michel Moreau at the presentation of the SRRA

Press release about the SRRA from ERRAC

With more than 35 product lines and a presence in over 60 countries, ALSTOM's Transport Sector offers cutting-edge products and services to four distinct types of customers: urban transit authorities and operators; intercity passenger rail operators and rolling stock owners; rail freight operators; and intercity railway infrastructure owners. ALSTOM's Transport Sector, with 4.4 billion euros in sales in 2001, is among the world's leading suppliers to the railway industry.

Press information: Helen Connolly
Tel. +33 (0)1 41 66 91 43
helen.connolly@transport.alstom.com