Hop on for the planet is to attract young people to the railway

The association of European railway suppliers (UNIFE) has launched the Hop on for the planet campaign. This campaign aims to accelerate the ecological future of railways in Europe. It also aims to attract young people to the railway sector.

The railway offers many life-long job opportunities, innovative growth and is becoming synonymous with sustainable transport. An electronic poll was conducted on October 21^st , which found that most people between the ages of 15 and 26 are willing to use transportation that is greener for our planet. These young people believe that the future of rail transport lies in zero-emission technologies and welcome investments in sustainable rail transport.

The environmental friendliness of rail transport is a very resonant topic in Europe. New technologies aim to reduce emissions, various automations and software tweaks. This is also related to the lack of qualified staff on the railway. This is also a very sensitive topic in this moment. The arrival of young people on the railways could partially solve this problem. Young people have a much closer relationship with new technologies and learn to work with them much faster. In addition, they could come up with many interesting suggestions themselves.

"The campaign clearly shows that the railways are the way forward for sustainable transport infrastructure, innovative jobs and lifelong opportunities - especially among the European Gen Z generators surveyed, the research has revealed a lot to learn about our industry," Henri Poupart-Lafarge, President of UNIFE and CEO of Alstom, told the media.

The campaign also included interviews with the young generation working in the railway sector. In the interviews, the respondents summarized their work experience and stated what they liked about working on the railway.

The campaign is supported by the following companies: the Alstom, the Bombardier, the CAF, the Faively Transport, the Hitachi Rail, the Knorr Bremse, the Lucchini RS, the Siemens Mobility, the Strukton Rail and the UNIFE. The European initiative would like to declare 2021 the year of the railways. This step is supported by the Hop on for in the planet initiative.

The UNIFE brings together around 100 companies from the European railway supply industry. It represents manufacturers of railway rolling stock, as well as their operators, suppliers of railway equipment. Youngs are the great benefit for these companies.