DOHA — Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) kicked off Monday (30 March) the 1st International Conference on Railway Interoperability, Standardization and Harmonization in the Middle East with a vision to develop a coherent, integrated, and competitive rail transport system to serve the region's economy and society. Organiszed by UIC, the International Union of Railways; UIC Middle East; OTIF, the Intergovernmental Organization for International Carriage by Rail; CIT, the International Rail Transport Committee; and hosted by Qatar Rail, the first day of the conference provided a unique opportunity to discuss the latest developments in optimizing international cross-border rail transport. The varied participation of industry leaders from the railway and transportation sector was indicative of the 2-day event's importance. Following the key note opening speeches by Eng. Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, Qatar Rail's Managing Director; Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director General; and François Davenne, OTIF Secretary General, the conference focused on three major topics that discussed “legal interoperability framework”, “railway harmonization and standardization”, and “Railway Safety”. Participating companies mainly included OTIF, UIC, CIT, SRO – Saudi Arabia, Etihad Rail – UAE, Oman Rail, Moroccan State Railways, UIC – Africa, TCDD – Turkey, RAI – Iran, Sina Rail Pars Transport – Iran, AFRA – Afghanistan, Huawei Technologies - China, Alstom Transport - France, and Qatar Rail. Commenting on the event's contribution to the development of rail infrastructure and transport, Eng. Al Subaie said: “By bringing together local, regional and international experts from the railway industry at UIC RAME, Qatar Rail aims to contribute to Railway Interoperability, Standardization and Harmonization in the Middle East in general and the GCC region in particular”. He added: “In commitment to Qatar's National Vision 2030, our company adheres to Qatar's national transportation objectives enunciated in the Qatar National Development Framework (QNDF). In addition to the Doha Metro and the Lusail City Light Rail Transit, Qatar Rail envisages the development of a Long Distance Rail that will form part of the planned GCC cross-border railway network that will enable a higher level of cooperation between the member states, and play a crucial role in the sustainable development of each country's economy". Loubinoux shed light on UIC Middle East's vision and strategic action plan for 2013 to 2020, aiming to develop an integrated rail transport system in the region. He said “currently, the Middle-East Region is the part of the World with most ambitious projects and most advanced achievements in the field of rail transportation. In nearly all countries, high performance railway systems for passenger and freight as well as for urban public transport are planned or in construction”. He noted: “The presence of multiple perspectives underlines the imperative need to use common standards, common rules for operations, and common legal systems. With interoperability and seamless cross-border operations, railways will be able to offer all the advantages of the rail system to the markets.” — SG
