Sustainable railway on the schedule
How important is environmental sustainability to the railway sector? And is rail really the most environmentally-friendly means of transport? These are just a few of the issues that were discussed during the first day of the conference entitled The Sustainable Railway at Elmia Nordic Rail.
“We have to invest in the transport system today if we want to build the society we want tomorrow,” says Minoo Akhtarzand, Director-General of Sweden’s National Rail Administration, Banverket .
Just over 40 people, more than half of whom were foreign visitors, yesterday gathered to attend the conference The Sustainable Railway at Elmia Nordic Rail. Minoo Akhtarzand was the first speaker, and began by talking about Banverket’s vision and responsibility.
“We are responsible for ensuring the whole transport system operates for the citizens of Sweden. Banverket has just installed climate-smart freight transport and energy-efficient infrastructure,” said Minoo Akhtarzand.
The next speaker was Henning Schwarz, who is the Coordinator for Environment & Sustainability at UIC. He talked about what the railways must do to meet society’s expectations of better, greener transport in the long term. Schwarz also mentioned examples of successful transport projects.
“UIC’s mission is to promote the development of rail transport to world level in order to meet new challenges. We have to be prepared and know what technical solutions are required of us. Transport is the only sector with growing CO2 emissions, but a shift to rail is key in solving the problem,” Schwarz explained.
Sustainability is not only about minimising environmental impact, but also about continuing to improve and create the best railway technology. Michael Clausecker, Director-General of UNIFE, discussed the supply industry’s major role in helping the railway sector address the wider issues of environment, technology and commercial sustainability, taking aspects such as energy efficiency, reduced emissions and noise into account.
The conference runs for two days and is jointly organised by Elmia Nordic Rail and the Railway Gazette International. Today, for instance, the Director of the European Railway Agency, Marcel Verslype will talk about safety and sustainability, and Matthew Arndt, Head of Road & Rail Projects, EIB, will discuss the funding of long-term investments.