The 42nd ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference, now an annual event rotating between eight South-East Asian nations, was hosted in Da Nang by VNR, the Vietnam National Railway, on 22–25 August 2022.
It was a chance for this event to be held in-person again, after having been postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once again, UIC was invited as a guest of honour, with this having been the case since 2012.
Eight active members took part in the 42nd edition, the same number as in the previous conference held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2019. These members were the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia, PT. KAI of Indonesia, LNR of Laos, KTMB of Malaysia, MR of Myanmar, PNR of the Philippines, SRT of Thailand and VNR of Vietnam.
In the spirit of ASEAN unity, and its “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” motto, VNR dedicated the first event after the pandemic to “Recovery and Development”. Vietnam has embarked on an ambitious plan to upgrade its existing railway lines and build new ones, including the North-South High Speed Rail Project. Two distinctive phases have been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office: a master plan for railway network development 2021-2030, and a master plan for railway objectives and goals 2031-2050.
After a two year hiatus, the event was a renewed opportunity to share experiences, pool the members’ respective expertise, map out the regional solutions put in place for recovery after the COVID crisis, and engage firmly in developing railways sustainably, for the benefit of the entire ASEAN Region (for both passenger and freight operations).
Two days of plenary and working group sessions (divided into three, as usual: CEOs, Marketing & Operations, and Technical) took place, as well as additional cultural and technical visits, friendly and memorable dinners, which allowed the ASEAN railway community to gather together in a both professional and social context.
UIC presented a video speech recorded by Vincent Vu, Asia Pacific Coordinator, on behalf of Director General Francois Davenne, discussing UIC’s Vision 2030, which aims to make rail a net zero carbon emission mode of public transport, while enhancing sustainable best practices, and reinforcing its presence through its members and in cooperation with its regional partners, such as ADB, UNESCAP and UNCRD.
Please also consult the official ARCEO’ 42 site, prepared by VNR: https://arceo42.com/.
ARCEO’43 will be held in 2023 in the Philippines.
