New research council aims to get European rail research back on track
A new European rail research advisory council (ERRAC) was launched by European Research Commissioner, Philippe Busquin, at the opening of the World congress on railway research in Cologne on 26 November. The body will bring together private and public players in the sector and will help to define a strategic rail research agenda for Europe. It encompasses manufacturers, users, research organisations, environmental and urban planning groups, the European Commission and representatives of the EU's Member States. The development will help the European Commission in its push to help 'rebalance transport in favour of rail,' according to Mr Busquin. 'The development of the high speed train shows that Europe has the engineering potential and a competitive industry. We now need to get better organised and maximise our resources and strengths from the public and private sectors. The set-up of ERRAC is a concrete example of what the European research area is all about,' he said. The specific mandate of the ERRAC is to respond to the European Commission's White Paper on transport policy, strengthen the leadership of the European rail industry, maximise the synergies between European, national and private research, improve the response to user needs, reinforce Europe's move towards sustainable transport and provide answers to a number of outstanding themes, such as rail safety and interoperability issues. There are presently 40 ongoing Community-funded research projects analysing improvements in the rail industry, with Community funding reaching more than 150 million euro. With the proposed European research area (ERA), the focus for research will be placed more on ensuring that collaboration between countries, between private and public and between industry and academia, is optimised.