The UIC Standardisation Unit held its third International Standardisation Conference on 16 March. The conference theme was “How can standardisation help to evolve a sustainable railway?”.

Over 130 people from more than 20 countries participated in the online event, which was opened by François Davenne, UIC Director General. Following this introduction, five speakers from various countries shared their experiences of challenges, best practices, successes and innovation in achieving sustainable mobility. Many different areas have been tackled in order to reduce negative environmental impacts, including carbon-free mobility, use of hydrogen, energy-saving vehicles, renewable energy sources, fuel cells and electric storage systems. JR-East, RZD, AAR, and RAI are some examples of eco-friendly associations and companies supporting policies to fight climate change and bring about a green recovery as the backbone of sustainable mobility.

National standardisation structures and standards used were also presented during the conference, with an excellent atmosphere for discussion and networking. The event was moderated by Simon Fletcher, UIC Europe Director. Célia Levy, UIC Chief Standardisation Officer, invited the participants to next year’s conference during the closing session.

The second part of the conference was dedicated to the first edition of the Standardisation Awards, which aim to support and promote excellence in user-friendly, business-sensitive documents that promote efficiency in railway operations. Numerous IRSs were submitted for the awards, and the finalists were selected on the basis of stringent evaluation criteria. There are four categories of award, distinguishing IRSs that have not only achieved technical recognition but also help the railway operating community and the sector to achieve excellent results. Best-in-category awards were be presented for 11 IRSs.