Governments, authorities, operators and industries are investing vast amounts of money in the modernisation of existing rail systems and the construction of new railway systems. In the coming years the investments in railway systems will increase to 30 Billion-Euro worldwide in the year 2006. This has led to a steady growth in the rail infrastructure market.

This has not, however, come without problems. Track work constructors and infrastructure mangers alike have to deal with many different challenges such as the issue of interoperability, new safety demands, new technology, bottleknecks and the competition from other transport modes.

The action of the European Institutions, through the adoption of Directives setting up new rules concerning the management of infrastructure, the infrastructure packages, is also changing the framework in which railway trackworks contractors and their suppliers are acting.

UNIFE has now taken up these challenges in its collaboration with EFRTC - the European Federation of Railway Trackworks Contractors. Through our partnership we hope to achieve a favourable environment for rail infrastructure investment and we hope to help the industry meet their respective goals.

This will prove particularly important for the integration of the Central and Eastern European Countries who will soon become members of the European Union.

One way in which these goals will be achieved is through the TENs (Trans European Networks) programme, the establishment of a single European railway system and the various research programmes both within and without the European Union.

Contact

Michael Bayley, Technical Affairs Manager
Email: michael.bayley@unife.org
Tel: +32 2 642 23 24

Jérémie Pelerin, Public Affairs Manager
Email: jeremie.pelerin@unife.org
Tel: +32 2 642 23 25