A Global Vision for Railway Development

In order to attract more passenger and freight customers and consistently satisfy their requirements, more innovative and cost-effective ways need to be identified and implemented to increase punctuality, safety-security and capacity, improve performance at a system level and remove barriers to seamless intermodal transport and railway interoperability.

The UIC Global Vision for Railway Development wants to provide a system-oriented reference to seek appropriate solutions for future challenges, using an approach which has originally been developed for road transport, the “forever open” concept.

The “forever open” concept comprises the following central elements:

• Adaptability: focusing on ways to allow operators to respond in a flexible manner to changes in users’ demands and constraints.
• Enhanced Automation: focusing on the full integration of intelligent communication technology (ICT) and applications between the user, the vehicle, traffic management services and operation.
• Resilience: focus on ensuring service levels are maintained even under extreme operating conditions [...].