As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the KTX, the fifth largest high-speed rail network in the world, KORAIL invited members from the UIC Asia-Pacific Region to Seoul, Korea for the 22nd UIC Asia-Pacific Management Committee (APMC) and 36th Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly (APRA) on 2-3 April 2024.
64 participants from Armenia, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Vietnam registered to attend the 36th Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly. Its membership currently stands at 53, and includes all active, associate, and affiliate members.
The 22nd APMC session was opened by Moon Hee Han, CEO of Korail and Chair of the UIC Asia-Pacific Region, who extended a warm welcome to all of the participants, underpinning the meeting’s significance for the Asia-Pacific railway sector in terms of collaboration for sustainable development and innovation.
Warwick Talbot, UIC APRA Vice-Chair and Deputy Executive Director of Sydney Trains, highlighted the importance of safety and digital transformation in the railway industry.
François Davenne, UIC Director General, highlighted the global challenges faced and opportunities for rail transport, focusing on decarbonisation, digitalisation and safety culture.
Han then provided a comprehensive overview of the previous year’s activities, projects, and achievements. The focus was on safety platforms, decarbonisation initiatives, the engagement of new member, and the progress in global and inter-regional activities. The Chair stressed the utmost importance of collaborating and sharing developments within the UIC APRA region, particularly in the fields of standardisation and railway infrastructure, operations and research projects.
Next, Davenne discussed UIC’s strategy, emphasising its improved accountability, the continued interest in UIC membership, and efforts towards transparency and efficiency in financial and project management. He outlined UIC’s involvement in innovation streams and the importance of regional empowerment and global standardisation efforts.
APRA’s projects and activities were presented by Philippe Lorand, Coordinator of the UIC Asia-Pacific Region, who detailed the status of ongoing studies from 2023, announced the launch of four studies and two regional training sessions for 2024, and also proposed guidelines for the 2025 project proposals.
To conclude, the dates and venues for the next statutory meetings in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the region’s UIC-organised international conferences were give by the APRA Chair.
