OREANDA-NEWS. June 07, 2011. The President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin has participated in a discussion on "The Future of the Euro-Asian Transport System: Tactics for Cooperation", reported the press-centre of RZD.

The discussion took place as part of the VI International Rail Business Forum: 1520 Strategic Partnership. According to the participants, the railways have to make serious efforts to overcome the difficulties encountered at border crossings between countries and accelerate the movement and delivery of goods between Europe and Asia.

The participants also discussed the problem of developing the interoperability (interchangeability) of the two main railway systems in use world-wide: the broad-gauge 1520 mm track used in the Former Soviet Union and Mongolia, and the narrow-gauge 1435 mm line used elsewhere.

"Two main elements are required in order to develop interoperability," said Vladimir Yakunin. "The first is interchangeable rolling stock, management and control systems and traffic safety. The second element is a developed logistics system.

Jean-Pierre Lubin, Director General of the International Union of Railways (UIC), whose members include more than 200 railway organisations, said that his organisation’s activities are aimed at improving the mobility of goods and the development of international transport corridors (ITCs) connecting Europe and the Far East.

One of the main elements to facilitate this kind of integration is the project to extend a broad-gauge 1520 mm line to Vienna. Since 2007, Russian Railways and the railway authorities and transport authorities in Slovakia, Austria and Ukraine have been developing the construction plans to take the line from Kosice to Bratislava and Vienna.

In 2010, the international consulting firm Roland Berger Strategy Consultants completed preliminary research which showed that the new line would attract between 16 and 24 million tons of additional cargo by 2050.

Ultimately, the additional economic benefits from the project will be shared by 33 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Far East, as well as Russia itself.

Vladimir Yakunin noted that increasing the interoperability of the two rail systems as part of the 1520 space necessitates the creation of a single certification authority.

A Centre for Scientific and Technical Cooperation could be developed from VNIIZhT – the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Railway Transport, which is a subsidiary of Russian Railways and a long-established scientific and research institute.

Boris Lapidus, Managing Director of VNIIZhT, said that in 2011 an additional share issue was being prepared so that the Institute could attract foreign investors and benefit from the scientific potential of other countries.

During the first stage, it is expected to sell up to 25% of VNIIZhT shares, but the stake of outside investors could increase to 50% subsequently.

According to the participants in the discussion, the integration of scientific knowledge and technology is a tremendous resource for increasing the efficiency of the railway business and the importance and competitiveness of railways in general.