Ms Blanka Havelková, member of the Board of Directors of Czech national carrier České dráhy, and Mr Roman Štěrba, Head of Strategy of Czech IM Správa železnic, both addressed welcome speeches to delegates. The 73rd Congress was opened by IFEF President, Ms Rodica Todor. More than 100 participants attended; from 15 countries, including Japan and South Korea.
Rodica Todor (Romania), IFEF President, introduced IFEF and its role as an organisation of railway workers developing Esperanto as a railway professional language. She addressed the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent war.
Eight speakers representing IFEF (from Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Romania) presented expert lectures:
- Marc Cuffez (BE): History of the “Vennbahn” line
- Zlatko Hinšt (HR): “Acquis communautaire” EU and railway transport in Croatia
- Guido Brandenburg (DE): Pängelanton 2025 – reactivation of operation on regional line
- Lene Niemann (DK): Denmark – the country of bridges
- Ladislav Kovář (CZ): Internal and external conditions for sustainable railway transport
- Roman Štěrba (CZ): High-speed and conventional railway in the Czech Republic for the 21st century
- Vito Tornillo (IT): Hybrid trains in Italy
- Rodica Giuhat (RO): Modernisation of the railway connection between Bucharest-Nord and Henri-Coandǎ international airport
Despite the large and varied volume of material presented, the attention of the audience was held until the last slide.
One of the strong points of FISAIC and Esperanto gatherings is that they serve as a platform for acquiring professional knowledge, cultural impressions, and new friends and colleagues.
In the second half of the event, delegates visited the ČD Museum in Lužná and the Remote Control Centre in Prague.
The 73rd IFEF Congress in Beroun was attended by the FISAIC Coordinator of Technical Commissions, Roman Štěrba (Head of Strategy at SZCZ).
FISAIC is an international railway art and culture association. FISAIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UIC on 1 December 2016. FISAIC aims to promote and support the cultural activities of railway personnel from all nations in their leisure time, and to establish relations between creative railway personnel of different national associations and unions in order to organise cultural events and contribute to the development of cultural motivation and activities. FISAIC was founded in Strasbourg in 1952.
(Source: SZCZ)
