Railways,UIC to organise global rail freight conference

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Poised to play a major role in the global rail freight movement, Indian Railways have now joined hands with International Union of Railways (UIC) for organising a two-day Global Rail Freight Conference (GRFC) here, beginning Thursday.

The conference, to be inaugurated by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, will provide an ideal platform for over 25 participating countries to share their experiences and will help expand cooperation in the rail sector to a truly global scale.

The conference will deliberate on the experiences in rail freight transportation during the 20th Century and focus on issues related to the ''21st Century Global Transport Supply Chain''. In addition, it will cover rail freight expansion initiatives in various countries.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Ministers of State for Railways R Velu and Naranbhai J Rathwa, Chairman, Railway Board Chairman J P Batra and the Paris-based UIC Chief Executive Luc Aladiere are among those who will be present on the occasion.

On the occasion, the Railway Minister will also lay the foundation stone of International Railway Strategic Management Institute (IRSMI), which is to provide training to managers for meeting the future challenges, including the global rail operation through identified corridors.

The Institute, under the aegis of UIC, is expected to be fully functional by 2009-2010.

Meanwhile, UIC will organise its Executive Board meeting here tomorrow. Mr Batra, the current Chairman of UIC, is the first non-European to be elected for this prestigious assignment in December last year.

The Regional Assembly for Asia will also be formed here tomorrow. Regional assemblies have already been formed in Europe, Africa and West Asia.

UIC is a worldwide prestigious organisation for international cooperation among railways and promotion of the rail transport mode.

Founded in 1922, it has 224 members, including railways, rail operators, infrastructure managers, railway service providers and public transport companies spread over all five continents.

UNI