UIC publishes its 2020-2022 Work Programme, endorsed by its members

The International Union of Railways (UIC) – the worldwide railway organisation – has, for the first time, published its work programme, endorsed by its members at the last general assembly in December 2019. The document covers the period of 2020 to 2022 and aims to give a global overview of key challenges, events and deliverable projects in the years to come.

The programme reflects a holistic approach, inspired by the priorities of the sector. Being the technical body of the railway operating community, UIC highlights its added value and how it can deliver what is needed for an innovative railway system.

Within the programme, UIC Chairman, Gianluigi Caterlli, stated: “After the last decade of innovation and global growth, the rail business world ended 2019 at a crossroads, facing a range of technical, strategic and environmental challenges: energy efficiency, integration and interoperability, the increasing cross-industry interconnection among diverse sectors and the evolution of the competitive arena in the current digital age.”

He continued: “UIC takes global challenges seriously and is ready to govern the market evolution with a well defined three-year strategy. The UIC Work Programme 2020-2022 is a compendium that outlines the main priorities, opportunities and focus areas for our members and the sector at large.”

The document is organised around the strategic focus areas that will lead the many UIC workstreams over the next three years:

• Promote rail worldwide
• The fundamentals: safety, security and training
• Develop a system vision with a digital drive
• Rail freight as the backbone of the worldwide logistic chain
• Rail as the transport mode of choice for passengers
• Promote sustainable carbon free transport
• Efficient, transparent management for the benefit of members.

François Davenne, UIC Director General, said within the programme: “This work programme is an action-orientated document. It aims at giving consistency and accountability to the commitments taken by UIC in the different working bodies (forums, platforms) for the 2020-2022 period. The wide area of the subjects covered by UIC working groups deserves a common approach that will highlight the main workstreams. This strategic perspective aims at defining the main areas where UIC’s deliveries are expected by UIC members. The main words here are added value and transparency.”