Within the context of the UIC Alliance of Universities, a global academic network established in 2015 under the aegis of UIC for the development of High-Speed Rail, the fourth International Workshop on High-Speed Rail Socioeconomic Impacts was held successfully online on 10 and 11 September 2024.
Chaired by Prof. Francesca Pagliara, member of the Alliance and Professor at the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II, together with the UIC team led by Michele Gesualdi, UIC High-Speed Rail Advisor, the workshop was attended by around 100 participants from across the sector including experts and railway representatives from Europe and across the world, UIC, and high-level institutions.
Following the success of the last three editions:
– https://uic.org/events/3rd-international-workshop-on-high-speed-rail-socioeconomic-impacts
– https://uic.org/events/2nd-international-workshop-on-high-speed-rail-socioeconomic-impacts
and
– https://uic.org/events/https-uic-org-events-1st-international-workshop-on-high-speed-rail-socioeconomic-impacts UIC has decided to support this initiative to be organised annually by the University of Naples Federico II. The aim of this workshop is to explore recent research on the analysis and quantification of the effects, both on economy and on society, of investments in HSR systems.
Francesca Pagliara, together with Prof. Francesco Pirozzi, Head of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy, gave a warm welcome to all the participants, highlighting that the increasing number of paper contributions every year is testament to the community of expertise and know-how and the growing interest in the subject of socioeconomic impacts on High-Speed Rail.
The programme, composed of six sessions over one-and-a-half days, gave participants the opportunity to learn and exchange on recent research on HSR around the world – where High-Speed Rail is a reality, in the pipeline or a work in progress and to quantify its socio-economic impacts.
The workshop opening remarks were delivered by a number of leading figures in the sector, notably:
- Moderator Prof. Francesca Pagliara (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy)
- Prof. Francesco Pirozzi (Head of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy)
- Prof. Claudio Ferrari (President of the Italian Society of Transport Economics and Logistics, University of Genoa, Italy)
- Mr Bertrand Minary (UIC Passenger Director and Coordinator of Middle East and Latin American Regions)
- Mr Michele Gesualdi (UIC HSR Advisor)
- Dr Marco Kampp (Director international long-distance passenger transport, Deutsche Bahn AG / CEO of DB Bahn Italia)
- Mr Sergio Barcena (Director of Planning and Maintenance, Ouigo Spain)
Mr Michele Gesualdi (UIC HSR Advisor) on behalf of Bertrand Minary, gave an overview of UIC – its history, organisation, missions and challenges. He explained the purpose and projects of the UIC Alliance of Universities of High-Speed Rail (AUHSR) and encouraged participants to join the Alliance for those who are interested.
The workshop was pleased to welcome a keynote presentation given by Prof. Roger Vickerman – Emeritus Professor of European Economics, School of Economics, University of Kent, UK, which focused on the purpose of high-speed rail as well as the technical, economic and political challenges of its implementation.
The sessions on the first day focused on high-speed rail in the context of competition and integration, with case studies looking at competition between High-Speed Rail and air transport, integration with other transport modes, the role of ticket flexibility in the context of railway competition and revenue management. Presentations included research conducted on air-rail intermodal transport trends and seeing how high-speed rail can be implemented and made available as an option to passengers in areas that are underserved by air travel.
Speakers came from railway companies, the rail industry and universities based in Spain, China, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark and the USA.
The second day opened with a keynote speech by Mrs Dorien Rookmaker, Former Member of the European Parliament, who gave a holistic vision of High-Speed Rail in Europe, saying that it contributes to people’s overall happiness by connecting and bringing them together in a faster and more inclusive way. High-speed is big equaliser for all people independent of gender and since cities with high-speed rail tend to develop faster and become more economically successful, it is a positive business case for Europe.
The sessions on the second day focused on High-Speed Rail in relation to economic growth and investment and then on High-Speed Rail with regard to land-use impacts. The first case studies on land use impacts included urban growth trends and how HSR has influenced economic activity and population growth. Other case studies looked at the wider socio-economic impacts of railway investments and how investing in transport infrastructure can enhance social and economic development.
The last two sessions looked at the impact of High-Speed Rail on economic growth and the issues of investment and costs. From an economic angle, speakers talked about benefits for the environment, sustainable tourism and employment. Presentations also included the positive and arguable socio-economic impacts of High-Speed such as providing access to education, community and business development, community stability, as well as noise issues and impact on the landscape. Under the subject of investment, the focus was on construction costs of High-Speed Rail and improving economic evaluation for risk mitigation. Speakers represented universities, organisations and the railways across Europe, North America and Asia.
The closing remarks were delivered by Prof. Francesca Pagliara, Mr KE Seetha Ram (Asian Development Bank Institute), Prof. Yoshitsugu Hayashi (Chubu University, Japan) and Mr Michel Leboeuf (Honorary Chairman of the Intercity & High-Speed Committee, UIC).
Exceptionally this year, the Best Paper Award for the best 1000-word paper was assigned to not only one but two young scholars.
In conclusion, Mr Michel Leboeuf, Honorary Chairman of the Intercity & High-Speed Committee, expressed his gratitude to all the speakers and session chairs, extending a special acknowledgment to Prof. Francesca Pagliara for her valuable contributions to this seminar. He noted that the breadth of topics covered this year has expanded significantly, underscoring that High-Speed Rail remains a priority for rail authorities, industry leaders, and academic institutions alike, which represents a strong commitment to evaluating the true benefits of High-Speed Rail projects. In conclusion, he highlighted that High-Speed Rail is not merely a transportation matter, but a broader societal issue.
For further information about becoming a member of the Alliance of Universities, please contact Michele Gesualdi, UIC High-Speed Rail Advisor.
For more information on obtaining AUHSR membership please visit https://uic.org/events/auhsr-membership-application?var_mode=calcul
