International Railway Congress 2019: Vienna hosts a successful discussion of the international future of the railways

Wien (ots) - Over 500 international guests, more than 100 well-known companies
and representatives from over 20 countries took part; seven memoranda of
understanding signed

The International Railway Congress 2019 in Vienna was the first in a series of
congresses that should take place over at least the next three years. The
largest industry get-together of its type successfully met its principal goal of
offering top managers from the transport and logistics sectors an ideal platform
for exchanging ideas and deepening their mutual business relationships. The
clearest confirmation of this success is the total of seven cooperation
agreements or memoranda of understanding (MoU) agreed at the political and
corporate level.

More than 500 guests spent two days exchanging ideas, largely about the
opportunities offered by the multinational 'Broad Gauge' railway project and
about the potential of the project as an environmentally-friendly global gateway
for transporting goods from around the world. The outstanding international top
speakers made an expert contribution to this great success.

Seven memoranda of understanding were signed on the sidelines of the congress.
The most decisive political MoU is the one signed by the transport ministries of
Russia, Slovakia and Austria regarding the realisation of the 1,520-mm-gauge
freight line linking Kosice, Bratislava and Vienna. This is a further step in
the preparation of the international treaty between the countries. In addition
to this, six further bilateral memoranda of understanding were concluded between
companies. The effectiveness of the event as a means of establishing the
direction and as a platform for developing political and corporate relationships
was impressively demonstrated by the first International Railway Congress.

Following its conclusion of the 'Silk Road Agreement' in 2018 the Federal
Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology is already able to celebrate
its next major success in the field of infrastructure. In the words of General
Secretary Andreas Reichhardt, "the Memorandum of Understanding between Russia,
Slovakia and Austria represents another major step towards extending the
1,520-mm-gauge railway to the Twin City Region. The Austrian Federal Government
has a huge interest in the country becoming the European gateway for global
freight traffic. The jobs and the value that this will create offer an
opportunity that we are keen to grasp."

Harald Mahrer, President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ) cites
the positive boost to Business Location Austria: "The future of mobility is
closely linked with economic growth and a competitive business location. The
railways play a key role in this process. And as a global player in the railway
industry Austria has a huge interest in the expansion of the rail
infrastructure." Against this background the newly signed MoU represents an
important step towards the improved integration of international rail transport.

In his closing statement to the congress the CEO of ÖBB Holding, Mag. Andreas
Matthä, notes that "railways provide a link between companies and countries.
They move both people and freight and create good connections - also for the new
Silk Road Initiative. The International Railway Congress is perhaps the best
starting point for intensifying international cooperation in this area and
moving the relationship between Austria and Russia forwards. Hence I would be
delighted if this congress returned to Vienna in the coming years as a regular
element of the ongoing discussion within the international railway community."

Oleg Belozerov, General Director - Chairman of the Board of RZD "Russian
Railways" is keen to put on record that "this project will raise the work of the
railways to a new level. We will test new technologies as a means of speeding up
movement across borders and harmonising legal issues. We must put all our
efforts into resolving these issues as quickly as possible," said the Chairman
of the Board Mr Belozerov.

Hubert Jeneral, President and Initiator of the IRC 2019, is highly pleased and
very grateful: "I would like to thank all guests and international speakers for
attending. The numerous memoranda of understanding already provide proof of the
success of the congress, but this is just the start. I am particularly grateful
to our partners BMVIT, ÖBB and RZD for the excellent cooperation and to Harald
Mahrer and the WKÖ for their wonderful hospitality. The cooperation between
politics and business is a prerequisite if Austria is to take full advantage of
this once-in-a-century opportunity. As the organiser of the conference I can
sense extremely positive signals coming from both sides," concluded the
President.

For the International Railway Congress the end of this year's event means that
preparations for next year are already well under way. Successful discussions
have already been held with partners, guests and speakers regarding a
continuation in coming years. This immediate and detailed planning of IRC 2020
will ensure that the event remains the most important platform for the top
management of the railway industry.

Further press information and executive summaries of the strategic sessions can
be found here: https://rail-congress.com/press-center/

Photos (https://www.apa-fotoservice.at/galerie/17904)

Kontakt:
SCHÜTZE. Positionierung & Public Performance
Michael Jayasekara
mj@schuetze.at
+43 (0)676 7460088

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