OREANDA-NEWS. A meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Railways (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer - UIC) and the 70th Session of its General Assembly have begun at the Holiday Inn Sokolniki in Moscow.

Taking part in the General Assembly are representatives of major companies involved in the rail sector from over 40 countries worldwide.

Items on the agenda of the 70th Session include the structure of the UIC in the light of globalisation, a development programme for high-speed trains and the creating of a Department for High-Speed Trains and the financial results of the UIC for 2006.

Vladimir Yakunin, president of Russian Railways, gave a presentation, during which he reminded his audience that in 2006, Russian Railways had once again joined the UIC after a long interruption.

He emphasised that one of the main strategic goals of the Company was to achieve the deep integration of the Russian railway network into the system of interregional transport and economic ties and increase its competitiveness on the global transport market.

The Company is devoting particular attention to introducing the latest transportation technology and developing logistics services and intermodal shipments. At the moment, Russian Railways is working out a development strategy for the rail sector up to 2030, which provides for a series of major rail construction projects over the long term.

“Today, the most important questions are concerned with developing interregional and transcontinental rail transport corridors, including across Eurasia. In spite of years of efforts to develop international rail transport corridors using the huge transport infrastructure of Russia’s railways, we still have a lot to do. And here, the UIC is an excellent platform for the cooperation necessary to realise such projects”, said Yakunin.