• The rail freight system needs a clear focus on a
  single European market
• Customer orientation is the best recipe for a strong
  market position
• Services must be convincing and attractive
• Cost must come down and processes have to be
  simplified
• European alliances will help to put railways on the
  right track
  

The implementation of the third package: the problems incurred

• Stimulating competition in the European
  international passenger market
• Can trans European passenger services survive in
  the wake of low cost airlines?
• The European rail freight industry: how can the
  European Commission ensure open access and
  increase competition?
• The establishment of the European Railway
  Agency: priorities and objectives
• The future goals of the European Commission
  

• UK railways: the latest Government restructuring
  proposals
• Who takes control of the railways?
• Key tests of success: what improvement can the
  industry expect?
• What does this mean for infrastructure
  investment?
  

Speed networking is an exciting, quick and non-pressurised way to meet fellow conference delegates and industry peers in one 50 minute session. These brief meetings are the starting point for conversation and networking throughout the conference. This is where long-lasting and profitable business relationships begin.

• Meet…move on…meet…move on…meet!
• Exchange business cards with fellow
  conference delegates and industry peers
• The best 50 minute networking session
  you’ve ever experienced

Networking lunch sponsored by

Lunch welcome address by

• The French TGV success story
• European examples
• Key success factors for the development of
  high speed trains
  

• Panel session: fighting the low cost airlines - is there a future for international rail travel?
• The current status of trans European rail travel
• Generating interest in rail travel and increasing market share
• Establishing an edge over low cost airlines, offering an efficient and competitive alternative
• What is the railway industry’s unique selling point and how do you deliver it to the customer? The issue of branding and marketing
• Understand the needs of the 21st century traveller, know your customer
• Modernisation and technological innovation: investment versus profit 
• Is long distance rail travel a long-term sustainable and profitable business venture?
  

• Establishing what is important to your
  customers
• Is the ultimate customer concern the price?
• Orientating your business model to best suit
  these needs
• Delivering improved service at a competitive
  price
• The impact of new customer facing
  technologies – the latest innovations
• Increasing overall net profit versus increasing
  customer service: the ultimate conundrum
  

• Breaking the mould: transforming innovation
  into profitable initiatives
• Achieving sustainable growth and increasing
  market share
• Understanding your customer expectations
• Delivering a customer focused service
• Meeting the needs of public stakeholders and
  investors
  

• An assessment of the current state of the rail
  freight market
• Is enough being done across Europe to
  promote liberalisation and to ensure
  competition?
• How is the industry going to compete
  effectively against the alternative methods of
  delivery?
• The need to improve service quality and
  customer satisfaction
• The way forward and the future for the rail
  freight industry
  

• Combating the decline in market share – can
  rail freight survive?
• Expanding your rail freight business through
  acquisition and partnering
• Providing a greater number of services to
  customers
• Breaking down the barriers, the need to
  ensure fast and effective travel across national
  borders
• Establishing innovative solutions to promote
  interoperability
• Intramodal competition: the last chance for rail
  freight transport?
  

• Understanding your customer’s priorities:
  injecting customer-focused strategies into your
  business model, is the ultimate customer
  concern the price?
• Bringing the rail freight industry into the 21st
  century: creating an ability to adapt quickly to
  your customer's requirements
• The need for innovation: staying one step
  ahead of the competition
• Increasing overall net profit versus increasing
  customer service: the ultimate conundrum
• Promoting the rail freight sector: removing the
  preconception of rail freight as a second class
  alternative
  

• Room for improvement: where rail freight is
  falling short in comparison to its competitors
• The main priorities of the customer: speed,
  flexibility and reliability
• How the industry can meet these requirements
• Ensuring effective cooperation between
  customer and supplier
• Can rail freight compete effectively: the
  customer’s view
  

• The need to provide a 21st century railway network
  across Europe
• The priorities for rail infrastructure investment
• Ensuring the optimum balance between quality,
  safety and profit
• Evaluating the financial options for infrastructure
  enhancement
• Achieving strategic focus through budget planning
  and prioritisation
• The future for DB Netz: the problems and the
  solutions on a national and pan European scale
  

• Europtirail, a new IT system for real-time
  international traffic management
• Pathfinder and RNE, the new international
  timetable process
• ERTMS migration on international corridors
  

• What is the future for infrastructure ownership?
• Formulating strategic partnerships in infrastructure
  operations
• Establishing effective cooperation with operators
  to deliver a more efficient railway
• Infrastructure investment: key priorities and
  strategies for implementation
• Cutting costs: exploring the role of the contractor
• The infrastructure manager’s role in the
  liberalisation of the industry
• Ensuring open access and promoting competition
  

• Operational and technological context
• ÖBB rationale and motivation
• Migration preparation / pilot initiatives
• Commercial realisation - project implementation
• Summary and outlook
  

•  The change to a customer driven service-delivery
  process
• Customer relationship management in a new
  perspective (beyond the hype)
• The importance of the moment of contact and the
  role of the service-agent
• Who manages who: the real-time exchange of
  value between customer and company
• The tension between flexibility and stability in
  service-delivery
  

Networking lunch sponsored by:

Lunch welcome address by

• Understanding the objectives of the players
  involved in investment: governments,
  operators, infrastructure authorities,
  contractors and banks
• Attracting sufficient financing: types of
  financing structures
• Driving down costs in the passenger market
  and improving efficiency
• Enhancing the procurement system across the
  network
• Implementing an effective system of rolling
  stock renewal and maintenance
• Determining future trends in rail investment

• The benefits of a privately managed operation
• Running a profitable business – profit versus
  performance
• Restructuring your business to optimise
  revenue and profit
• Long-term investment strategies and planning
  

• Passenger flows in the basis year 1999
• Scenarios for 2020 (hypothesis)
• Passenger flows 2020 (basic scenario)
• Effect of the extension of the Western Europe
  high speed network to PL and CZ
• Effects on the investment patterns and
  investment priorities
  

• Ensuring rail policy is no longer centred on
  national considerations and instead directed
  towards the needs of passengers
• Providing a common approach to rail safety
• The need to ensure high safety standards in
  the wake of an increase in operators due to
  market liberalisation
• Establishing a harmonised format for safety
  certificates
• Increasing the level of interoperability on a
  European scale in order to ensure technical
  and operational harmonisation
• Developing a system of information exchange
  and creating a genuine European railway
  culture
  

• Establishing a method of open access across
  national borders
• Towards interoperability: equipping the
  network with European standard safety and
  regulation systems
• Train path allocation issues: the trans European
  rail freight freeway network
• Giving the customer the freedom to choose
• Ensuring an effective means of separating
  operations and infrastructure
• Opening the European market to more
  operators
• Infrastructure charges: establishing a fair and
  efficient pricing structure

• Ensuring fair and efficient competition in the
  European rail freight market
• The benefits to rail operators and their
  customers
• Establishing an effective system of
  cooperation between infrastructure managers
  and rail operators
• Removing the problem of crossing borders:
  providing a total service
• The need to expand beyond the limits of
  purely rail freight
• Responding to the growing needs of
  customers: providing a “bundle of services”
  

• What are the key areas of development: where
  does the industry need to invest?
• The expansion of the European Community
  and its impact on the need for development
• Can the current infrastructure networks cope
  with the planned level of modernisation?
• Streamlining pan European travel: enabling fast
  and effective cross border journeys through
  improved technology
  

• Our short-term problems and the solutions we
  require
• Planned investment and procurement
  strategy
• Projected problems in the long-term: what are
  we going to require to meet the strategic
  issues of the future?
• The need to work effectively with suppliers to
  establish effective development
  

• Identify ways to accelerate progress with delivering TEN-T
• Help delegates to recognise how the packaging of the relevant project can be critical to attracting funding
  

• Objectives of TEN-T – why is the Commission promoting it?
• Scale of funding required
• Funding available from the EU
• Why has TEN-T been slow to be implemented?
• Coordinating projects in adjacent countries
• The implications for TEN-T of the new member states
• How should infrastructure companies be prioritising their efforts

• Perpignan – Figueras: recently completed PPP procurement
• Spencer Street station: complex development in Melbourne procured using a PPP
• Dutch HSL project: major TEN-T project currently being procured using a PPP structure

• The long term nature of projects
•  Working with national/ regional governments (timescales and
  delivering results)
• Obtaining finance
• Use of PPP structures
• Balance sheet issues and shareholders considerations
• Overcoming the challenges of cross-border projects/dependencies
• Co-ordinating with other national railways

• Sources of finance
• Which risks can be financed by the private sector
• Which risks will be left with the public sector
• How benefits of private funding offset the incremental cost

• Legal issues relating to output specified projects
• Legal obstacles to project finance for enhancement projects

• This session will give the opportunity for the audience to test ideas and better understand specific points and issues

• Understanding of the project
• Deliverability of the project
• Assessment of demand for the asset and ability of the borrower to pay
•  Valuing the underlying security and other forms of guarantee
• Revenue forecasts
• Risk allocation, management and mitigation
• Involvement of rating agencies and insurers