UNIFE sign MOU with CARS and RSI at InnoTrans 2022

Credit: @UNIFE

The Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers (CARS), the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) and the European Rail Supply Industry Association (UNIFE) announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), effective from 20 September 2022, during InnoTrans 2022. The MOU is to establish future collaboration between railway supply industry organisations.

“The railway supply industry in Canada, the United States and Europe are strategic manufacturing sectors,” Sylvia Newell, President of CARS, said. “Currently, significant investment in rail projects is occurring on both sides of the Atlantic. This MoU further solidifies the recognition that rail is the greenest and safest means of moving both people and freight.”

“I’m proud to be joining these two organisations in a commitment to address some of our most important challenges facing the industry today,” Patty Long, President of RSI, said. “Recent international events have truly underscored the strategic importance of freight and passenger rail to world markets.”

The MoU will begin a new phase in the long-standing cooperation between the organisations across a number of areas, including – but not limited to – public procurement, global standards, and skills. The agreement opens the door to deepened collaboration need to foster the health and future growth of the industry, while enabling the identification of emerging opportunities for the organisations to work together in advancing those objectives.

“In this critical time for railway suppliers, I cannot emphasise enough how valuable our partnership with RSI and CARS will be,” Philippe Citroën, Director General of UNIFE, said. “By joining together to advocate for increased rail investment in Europe, the United States and Canada, our respective members are leading the way to a sustainable mobility future needed for renewed prosperity, equity and resiliency.”

CARS represents over 140 companies who are important to the operations of the railways and transit authorities. While RSI represents more than 160 companies, acting on behalf of the smallest and the largest suppliers to North American freight and passenger railroads. UNIFE represents European train builders and rail suppliers. The association advocates on behalf of more than 100 of Europe’s leading rail supply companies, from SMEs to major industrial champions, active in the design, manufacture, maintenance and refurbishment of rail transport systems, subsystems, and related equipment.