Railway stakeholders came together in Istanbul for the 31st International Union of Railways Middle East Regional Board (UIC RAME) Meeting. In the meeting, where administrative issues were discussed, information was also given on RAME's financial situation and budget.
The trivet of the century in Turkey, the pioneer of the railway, Republic of Turkey State Railways (TCDD), continues to transfer its knowledge and experience to the Middle East region. TCDD General Manager Hasan Pezük attended the 31st Meeting of the Middle East Regional Board under the International Union of Railways in order to strengthen cooperation with the countries of the region and to share the current developments and innovations in the railways.
Held in Istanbul, Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR), Saudi Arabian General Transport Authority (TGA), Jordan Hejaz Railways (JHR), United Arab Emirates Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates Etihad Railways, Afghanistan Railways (ARA), Iranian Railways At the meeting held with the participation of representatives of (RAI), Israel Railways and International Railways Association UIC, the latest developments in the railway sector of our country were conveyed under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
At the meeting, the contribution of TCDD's 167 years of experience to regional development, new railway projects and training plans focused on maintenance, modernization and digitalization were discussed.
“The fact that railways are an important mode for both environmental friendliness and logistics in terms of social mobility has been clearly seen in support of our motto 'Life begins when it arrives' during the COVID pandemic in recent years.” General Manager Hasan Pezük explained to the participants the problems experienced in the disaster of the century and all the work done by TCDD against them.
General Manager Hasan Pezük continued his speech as follows: “As almost everyone here today will confirm, the investments in our region are proof of how much we value the railway. In the following parts of the meeting, each member will give information about the 31st Meeting of the International Union of Railways with Investments Middle East Regional Board (UIC RAME) and our valuable projects. The investments made by each member in their own country are also very valuable for our region. It is of great importance that the investments made are even more valuable, that the countries make these huge investments in connection with other countries, that the investments made are integrated and that interoperability is ensured. I think that it is a necessity for all the stakeholders of the railway, which has a very important place among the transportation modes, to work in cooperation, which I think directly contributes to the prosperity, cultural interactions and social mobility in our region. In order to fulfill this requirement, cooperation and negotiations between the countries in our region and even between regions are of great importance. In this context, I would like to emphasize once again the importance of holding meetings that will increase mutual synergy and coming together as all stakeholders by working in coordination in order to achieve concrete results.”
The meeting ended with the closing speech of General Manager Hasan Pezük, in which he wished to develop cooperation and close relations in the region. Afterwards, General Manager Hasan Pezük and participants made a technical trip to Marmaray, Project of the Century.