Railforum

Railforum was founded in april 1992 by representatives of a number of companies and organizations including Trailstar, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, NEA and the Netherlands Railways. They shared a vision of the future: the creation of an organization with a broad involvement in rail transport in the Netherlands. Railforum was founded to act as a platform for the exchange of know-how and information in the area of national and international matters concerning rail infrastructures. This goal has been reached. Since its foundation, important debates have been initiated and with them the realization that there is still more work to be done. The members of Railforum are united in the realization that rail transport has prospects as a mode of transport. Mobility will continue to increase but the congestion that this engenders will be at the detriment of economic growth and the environment. The 84 members of Railforum are drawn from the following sectors: construction, consultancy, services, financial institutions, trade, industry, public transport, the government and transport.

Mission

Economic growth is a key component in assuring the continuing prosperity of the Netherlands. Increased mobility must not be at the expense of the quality of life. Railforum focuses on the integration of chain mobility and the importance of a European approach to railways.

The aim of Railforum is to provide a platform for the transfer and exchange of knowledge between the members. Railforum wants to contribute to help the public to form an opinion on rail transportation. The platform wants to underline the social values of the Dutch rail transportation (also in a European context). That is why Railforum stays in contact with the political field and takes initiatives to get into contact with politicians, social groups and the business community.

Activities

Railforum organizes a variety of meetings. Members are invited to participate in the several round table conferences. Moreover, more general, open meetings are also held. Experts in the field introduce current rail topics, after which there is time for questions and discussion. Another initiative is the annual rail congress, organized in principle once a year in collaboration with one or more partners. Railforum regularly publishes a newsletter and announces congresses and other activities, together with other items of interest to the rail sector. Views are sometimes prepared in smaller groups and many members of Railforum meet in topic groups for this reason. Here, the know-how of members of diverse branches is exchanged to arrive at new viewpoints. Such topic groups include: 'Groene Rail' and 'National Traffic and Travelplan'. The aim is to lay down recommendations and the like in the form of a paper, that can serve as material for debate in a broader context or as data for policy makers.

European Contacts

Railforum maintains contacts with sister organizations in Germany such as 'Deutsches Verkehrsforum' , Allianz Pro Schiene and 'The Railway Forum' in England. From its origins as a platform for businesses involved in rail transport, the Deutsches Verkehrsforum has developed into an organization for the entire German business sector concerned in traffic affairs. The objective of The Railway Forum is to stimulate policy measures geared to the opportunities and development of new - rail transport - products. The Forum also intends to act as a recognized mouthpiece for the rail industry and to act as a platform for the exchange of know-how and information on the political, economic and commercial fronts.

External links

*en nl [http://www.railforum.nl Homepage Railforum]