In the quest to redefine the modal interface and make rail a more accessible option for travel, French National Railways is reinventing its stations as multimodal hubs, while also ensuring they are living spaces integrated into the communities they serve. Sophie Boissard, CEO of SNCF Stations & Connections, explains the strategy to Keith Barrow. 

The lack of integration between national booking systems can be a major obstacle to cross-border rail travel. Philip Martin, head of marketing for Amadeus Rail tells Keith Barrow why standardising distribution networks will be a crucial step towards achieving the European Commission’s targets for increasing rail’s modal share.

Lisa Stabler, who succeeded Roy Allen as president of Transportation Technology Center Inc (TTCI) on October 7, took the time at Railway Interchange in Minneapolis to talk to David Briginshaw about her plans and ambitions for the USA’s premier research and test centre.

Korail, Korea’s national rail operator, has developed an initiative to tackle environmental issues and keep up with the Korean government’s low carbon and green growth policy, reports David Briginshaw.

In the midst of criticism of rail’s environmental credentials from the road freight industry, the Australasian Railway Association is fighting back, as Kevin Smith discovers.

Swiss open-access railfreight operator Crossrail is enjoying an enviable run of success as its CEO Jeroen Le Jeune explains to regional editor Anitra Green.

 

The second plenary session at the World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) produced a wide-ranging discussion on the future economic and environmental challenges facing the world’s railways. Kevin Smith was in the audience.

 

The long-planned merger of the transport subsidiaries of Veolia Environnement and Caisse des Dépôts to form Veolia Transdev was consummated in March. The company’s new CEO, Jérôme Gallot, took time at the UITP Congress in Dubai to talk to David Briginshaw about his ambitions for the new company.

City stations offer a huge range of commercial opportunities, with consistent sources of revenue from non-rail activities. Keith Barrow talks to SNCB Holding CEO Mr Jannie Haek about the company’s consumer-focused strategy for stations.

 

With CSR aiming to substantially increase its export activities in the next five years, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive president Xu Zongxiang outlined the company’s plans to Kevin Smith at Middle East Rail 2011 in Abu Dhabi.