The economic recession continues to affect most major global economies although, occasionally, we come across information which makes us believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer. Our patience, which has been tested by the reality of the last 24 months, is now put under a microscope, proving, on the one hand, that the miracle recipes haven’t yet generated the expected outcome and, on the other hand, that a crisis at authority level is beginning to appear in many corners of the world. This crisis can, once again, contribute to the reconfiguration of the international production networks and, implicitly, of the transport networks and requirements.
In response to the increasing need for environmental protection, as well as the increasing awareness of the advantages brought by the correct use of the logistics principles in the development of the transport chain, the railway holds a very important place. The European, Asian or American pan-continental projects are now becoming reality due to the investments made in the (re) construction of modern railway networks. These investments ensure an increase in speed and punctuality, at local/national and cross-border level. Expanding the multimodal platforms at Eurasian level give a new dimension to the transport activity which is gradually moving from the transport of low added-value products towards the marker of higher added-value products, aimed at the end consumer. At the same time, expanding the high-speed networks and high-quality suburban passenger services redirects the citizen’s attention towards the passenger transport market.
This transition is correlated with the market opening process, which encourages private participation in the railway transport activity. Opening for privatization markets that are considered conservative, such as Russia, shows the new position adopted by railway transport, which tends to separate itself from the social aid dependency and thus become a direct generator of economic growth and GDP increase. This context determines Club Feroviar to make a step forward in refining the instruments of communication in the railway sector. Starting with January 2011, Railway Pro Magazine will come up with a new content, enriched and adapted to the real needs of the technical, business and political community which governs the railway sector. The monthly focus dedicated to freight and logistics (the first month of every quarter), infrastructure development projects and technologies (the second month of every quarter) and passenger transport (the third month of every quarter) will provide the Railway Pro community with the proper platform for the identification and communication of new and innovative ideas for rail transport development. The major market changes will be properly illustrated in the future issues of Railway Pro Magazine. The focus placed on a geographical area expanding from Central Europe to Central Asia and from Northern Europe to Southern Europe/Asia (Wider Black Sea Area) represents the basis for the future growth and development of rail transport and railway companies.
by Ştefan Roşeanu
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