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The IRFC 2022 conference will bring together the top European railway leaders. We bring you detailed information regarding this event!

The IRFC 2022 conference will bring together the top European railway leaders. We bring you detailed information regarding this event!
photo: Archive/The IRFC 2022 conference will bring together the top European railway leaders. We bring you detailed information regarding this event!
12 / 09 / 2022

The Czech Republic will host the 7th edition of the International Rail Transport Forum and Conference (IRFC 2022) this autumn, bringing together leading representatives of the European rail sector, the political scene, and academia. RAILTARGET is a media partner of the event, and you can look forward to a series of interviews and live coverage.

This autumn, a crucial event for the transport sector will take place. The 7th edition of the International Rail Transport Forum and Conference (IRFC) will take place in Prague from 5 to 7 October. This event is organized by the OLTIS Group, which has received the patronage of the Minister for European Affairs, Mikuláš Bek, as part of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. As a result, the IRFC 2022 conference has been included in the calendar of accompanying events of the Czech Presidency, which has greatly increased its prestige. This event is also under the patronage of the Ministry of Transport.

The patronage of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU allows OLTIS Group to organize an event of significant international dimension and to attract several leading personalities not only from the railway sector itself but also from the ranks of politicians or academia. In addition to the distinguished guests, a major benefit of IRFC 2022 will be the promotion of international and global cooperation - there will be East-West and Europe-Asia connections.

This year's conference will focus on innovative technologies and practical examples in the rail freight transport and logistics market in Europe and Asia. You can look forward to the participation of the most important European and Asian manufacturers, intermodal operators, and freight forwarders who will present their solutions, products, and services. It follows the previous successful IRFC 2017 event, which saw 240 attendees from 27 countries, including 46 senior representatives from leading rail companies and organizations. Speakers then included leading representatives from the European Commission, European Ministries of Transport, the European Railway Agency (CER), and the European Railway Community (ERA).

Who will be among the speakers at this year's conference? On the Czech side, speakers include Miroslav Fukan (Executive Director of OLTIS Group), Martin Švehlík (Director of the VRT Preparation Department), Miroslav Haltuf (Vice-Chairman of Europe's Rail JU SRG), and Martin Kolovratník (Member of the Czech Parliament and member of the Transport Subcommittee of the Economic Committee).

European speakers include the Deputy Commissioner for Transport and Carlo Borghini (Executive Director of Europe's Rail JU), Keir Fitch (Head of the Rail Safety and Interoperability Unit of DG MOVE), Josef Doppelbauer (Executive Director of ERA), Philippe Citroën (Director General of UNIFE) and Conor Feighan (Secretary General of ERFA).

The status of an official event of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU will enable the discussion at the conference to assess the Czech Republic's priorities in the transport field, especially rail. This topic will open the whole conference in its 1st session together with a discussion on the importance of rail in the European transport system. It will also include support for rail development or obstacles to it.

Topics will include meeting the Green Deal objectives or the rail needs in the current geopolitical situation. Presentations by individual speakers will reflect the main objectives of the overall policy and strategy for the direction of rail as the backbone of mobility in the EU and the Member States from the perspective of politicians, transport operators, infrastructure managers, and the supply industry. The content of these presentations should thus help in the preparation and implementation of common EU strategic objectives in the field of rail transport.

One of the priorities of the Czech Republic, closely linked to the transport sector, is research and innovation, and this is another theme of the conference. The importance of digitization, automation, and interconnection with other sectors in the European transport system are the objectives of the discussion.

Session 3 of the conference will be moderated by Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of Europe's Rail JU. Speakers will include Philippe Froissard from DG RTD, who will speak on the vital topic of synergies in the rail sector. Another speaker will be Miroslav Haltuf, representative of the Czech Republic in the ERJU and vice-chair of its States Representatives Group (SRG). We will thus be able to learn more about the experience of the founding members of the ERJU or the most important changes in the European partnership compared to the previous period. Afterward, we will also hear from Peter Mervart, Commissioner for Hydrogen Technologies of the Minister of Industry and Trade, who will present whether and how hydrogen can contribute to low-emission rail development in the future.

The conference is also under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, CER, Europe's Rail, UNIFE, ERA, and UIC with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic and the Vice President of the European Parliament Dita Charanzová. The main partners of the event include ACRI, the Confederation of Transport and Industry of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic, UIRR, and Business France.

The media partner of IRFC 2022 is the railway magazine RAILTARGET. Our editorial team will bring you exclusive live coverage, a series of interviews, and photo essays.

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