The 26th Conference of OSJD General Directors took place in Dushanbe on 18-22 May. This year the Head of the State Unitary Enterprise “Rokhi Okhani Tochikiston” (Railways of Tajikistan), Mr Hukumatullo Amonullo, kindly hosted the OSJD members and organised the high-level conference. 21 members attended the conference, along with observers (SNCF and DB) and associated enterprises. Ms Irina Petrunina participated in the conference on behalf of UIC.

As Mr Tadeusz Szozda, General Secretary of OSJD, mentioned in his speech, “UIC and OSJD relations are based on long-term cooperation and, with the cooperation agreement, signed on 23 March, 2010 became the year of a significant new step. In accordance with the principles introduced by this agreement, a meeting of representatives of the OSJD Committee and the UIC freight department was organised on 15 September. Participants developed the Programme of Cooperation for 2011-2015. This programme was approved and included 13 joint projects and activities. The main project to be developed between UIC and OSJD is a global approach to the Eurasian transport system, involving the implementation of railway interests and the harmonisation of infrastructure and technical conditions. Railway manufacturers are also involved in this process to facilitate interoperability and improve the efficiency of railway transport.”

2010 became a year of close cooperation between UIC and OSJD and saw the facilitation of joint activities in 2011-2012. The participants of the conference approved the action plan for 2012 and beyond, which included many joint projects in the fields of land bridge development, freight, transport policy and strategy, passenger transportation, coding and information, and finance. The decision taken at the conference to create an OSJD/UIC working group to investigate the economical aspects of “Automatic Track Gauges Changeover Systems” was a striking example of UIC/OSJD cooperation.