Security Platform Steering Committee

The UIC Security Platform Steering Committee met on 30 June at SNCF (French railways) headquarters in Paris to mark a transition in the platform’s leadership. The meeting was the final Steering Committee session chaired by Xavier Roche, Security Director of SNCF, ahead of the handover to Sarvapriya Mayank, Inspector General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways, who will Chair the platform starting 1 July, following the regional rotation principle. Members also supported the new Vice-Chair role taken by Mattias Dejke, Director of Security at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket).

Opening the meeting, UIC Director General François Davenne highlighted the platform’s global character and its role in fostering cooperation. He also thanked the outgoing leadership for its contribution to the platform’s work and reaffirmed the UIC Security Department’s commitment to supporting the incoming Chair and Vice-Chair.

Reflecting on his term as Chair, Roche expressed his pride in what the platform has achieved through the active engagement of its members and the support of the UIC Security Department. He highlighted the platform’s role as a forum for expertise and experience-sharing, as well as the growing portfolio of externally funded projects developed with members and partners to address common challenges facing the sector.

Looking ahead to his term as Chair, Mayank highlighted the need to continue adapting railway security practices to a changing threat landscape. He stressed the importance of continuing the platform’s work on vulnerable groups, particularly women and children travelling alone. He further encouraged members to make full use of the platform as a space for dialogue, experience-sharing and mutual learning.

New Vice-Chair Dejke spoke to the increasingly interconnected nature of today’s challenges and the importance of international cooperation in addressing them. He expressed his commitment to supporting dialogue, knowledge-sharing and collaboration among members to strengthen the resilience of the sector.

Recognising a distinguished railway career

Following the Steering Committee meeting, participants gathered for a small ceremony during which Roche, on behalf of the French Minister of Transport, presented the Médaille d’honneur des chemins de fer (Railway Gold Medal) to Marie-Hélène Bonneau, former UIC Security Department Director, who retired in March 2026.

Awarded in recognition of more than three decades of service to the railway sector, the distinction also celebrates Bonneau’s lasting contribution to UIC. First working on IT solutions for UIC members, she moved on to security topics in 2008, just two years after the creation of the Security Platform. Under her leadership, the Security Division evolved into a fully-fledged Department, while its activities expanded through international partnerships and externally funded projects. The ceremony provided an opportunity for colleagues, members and partners to thank her for nearly two decades of contribution to the UIC Security Platform.