UIC’s Director for Europe Simon Fletcher will moderate the IRS Rail Webinar series ‘Rail Baltica: opportunities in Europe’s latest megaproject’, which is produced by the International Railway Summit in association with Rail Baltica’s project coordinator RB Rail AS. The series starts on Wednesday 1 July 2020.
In Part 1 of the series, ‘Rail Baltica as driver of economic development in the post-Covid recovery’, RB Rail’s senior representatives including Kaspars Briškens, Head of Strategy and Development, will present the audience with an update on the €5.8bn project’s progress, procurement plans, and technical requirements for potential suppliers. The webinar will detail the latest time frames and strategies for sourcing infrastructure component and construction solutions.
Herald Ruijters, Director of Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), will outline how Rail Baltica, which is principally funded by the European Union, can prove its resilience following the Covid downturn, and contribute to European economic recovery.
In addition to these interventions, an international infrastructure owner overseeing a major railway project will offer their own perspective on procurement strategies, whilst Valentina Monaco, Head of Global Rail Infrastructure at testing and certification body TÜV SÜD, will share expertise gained assessing and advising on railway projects around the world.
Simon Fletcher will conduct an interview with Mr Ruijters and Mr Briškens on the future of the 870km network, which will integrate the Baltic region, currently operating on Russian gauge, with the majority of the EU’s rail system. Mr Fletcher will also chair a debate between all speakers, including questions from the audience, before summarising the key information and ideas shared during the webinar.
The IRS Rail Webinar series builds on the network, knowledge, and trust built over 9 International Railway Summit events. Just as with the summit, the IRS Rail Webinars are designed to help the railway sector stay informed and stay connected.
Registration for the webinar ‘Rail Baltica as driver of economic development in the post-Covid recovery’ is free at https://www.irits.org/irswebinars/rail-baltica-as-driver-of-economic-development-in-the-post-covid-recovery/.
