Infrastructure

Products and services

UNIFE infrastructure companies offer the world’s leading capabilities in rail infrastructure, throughout the supply chain:

• Supply of rail

• Track components
• Track installation and maintenance equipment and machinery
• Construction, maintenance and renewal of integrated track systems

Suppliers and contractors deliver and maintain high-quality track infrastructure in Europe and around the world.
With infrastructure investment costs comprising the vast majority of costs to the sector, the supply industry is supporting the concept of life-cycle-cost (LCC) assessment as a solid long term basis for investments into innovative technologies. Simultaneously, it is committed to a high performance system through continually improving RAMS parameters: Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety.

Strategic/public affairs activities

Track-work contractors are still restricted in accessing new and emerging markets by entry barriers such as unfavourable contractual arrangements and onerous acceptance requirements for track installation and maintenance machinery. By providing a forum for joint discussion on how to overcome these barriers and through its cooperation with the European Federation of Rail Track-work Contractors (EFRTC), UNIFE is improving the environment in which its members operate, thus increasing their business and improving the competitiveness of the rail supply sector.

UNIFE has created a forum on Rail Investments in New Member States, which is an industry driven approach to increase the volume and speed of rail infrastructure investments through cooperation with the European Institutions, national associations and infrastructure managers.

Technical activities

Infrastructure members are heavily involved in technical activities, namely in the three core areas of research, standardisation and regulation:

• Research – the industry is driving joint cooperative research projects aimed at reducing installation and maintenance costs of rail infrastructure through innovation while improving performance.
• Standardisation – members are involved in the ongoing activities of CEN / CENELEC.
• Regulation – experts from member companies are involved in the drafting of infrastructure technical specifications for interoperability (TSI)s.

These activities together are working to harmonise the railways and thereby reduce costs and improve the performance of infrastructure to make the rail sector more competitive.

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