GREENER AND MORE EFFICIENT RAILWAYS IN WIDER BLACK SEA AREA

The Wider Black Sea Area, a median area of the Eurasian platform, has witnessed an intense economic evolution which has to be supported and stimulated also through railway investments in order to facilitate the interconnection of regional, national and transcontinental railway networks, thus increasing the sustainable mobility of freight and passengers. An intense industrial activity, rising domestic consumption, increasing direct foreign investments, especially in the eastern side of the WBSA, the boost in trade volumes on the East-West axis, these are the main factors that trigger railway development opportunities. How can all these opportunities be turned into viable projects, how much money do they need and what are the potential financing sources, what are the priority railway projects for each of the WBSA countries, what solutions should be implemented to ensure cross-border railway interoperability?

For consolidating the discussions and the projects analysed in the previous edition, the 7th edition of the summit will be attended by over 300 decision and influence makers dealing with the elaboration and implementation of investment policies on railway infrastructure development, railway freight and passenger transport, public transport in the Wider Black Sea Area (WBSA), as well as by institution and private investors. The dialogue partners will be represented by railway infrastructure managers, railway transport operators, companies in the railway industry, logistics, railway customers, port authorities and operators in over 50 countries.

WBSA markets (country briefings 2011):

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99, FYR Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Innovation will be showcased at the Railway Technology Expo.