The eleventh edition of the World Congress of Railway Research will be hosted in Milan from 29 May to 2 June 2016. On an international level, this is the most important event dedicated to railway research which in 2013 was held in Sydney.
The 2016 edition will go under the title “Research and Innovation from Today Towards 2050”, in other words it will be a vision of the future of railway infrastructure, rolling stock and the management and organization of services for the next three decades. This international congress is coordinated by two Committees, (the Organizing Committee with 11 members and the Executive Committee with 16 members) made up of 24 representatives of the 7 founders and permanent members, i.e. the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI, which is part of the Association of American Railroads), the British Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the German railways Deutsche Bahn, the French railways SNCF, the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI, belonging to the Japan Railways Group), Trenitalia S.p.A. (part of the FS Italiane Group) and the Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (UIC). Added to which 3 representatives of the Unione delle industrie ferroviarie europee (UNIFE - Association of the European Rail Industry) are also part of the Committees. The Italian Organizing Committee is led by the professionalism and experience of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group and Trenitalia S.p.A.
About the 11th Congress
Over 1000 participants representing over 30 nations are expected to take part in the eleventh edition, with a panel of over 200 speakers. The Organizing and Executive Committees have decided to change formula for the Italian edition and propose an innovative format: top-class papers, an increase in the number of delegates and the creation of greater opportunities for speakers and audience to meet and exchange ideas. Each day will be divided up into three sections: a plenary session which will be followed by a session dedicated to future scenarios (Vision & Future) and two sessions on research currently underway (Today’s Research).
What’s new for 2016: e-posters and proof of concept
Two novel concepts will liven up the congress: e-posters and poof of concept stations. The first consists in being able to present traditional posters in an electronic format (known as e-posters): two stations will be set up in strategic locations in the congress facilities and each station will hold two totems divided up into 8 thematic areas. The screens will run through video contributions, each of which may contain up to four pages, providing the opportunity to publish audio and video material. This multimedia leap in poster presentation is also due to the continuous increase in the number of people who use Apps to keep up to date with the topics under discussion. The second involves providing tables (between 10 – 20) where researchers can present demonstration prototypes of their research/applications.
Exhibition of rolling stock and technical visits
On the fringe of the Congress there will be an exhibition of rolling stock set up in the Milano Fiorenza plant, used by Trenord for servicing its rolling stock, which will be dedicated to railway companies who overall will have 4 covered tracks, each measuring 300 metres, at their disposal. A number of technical visits are also planned.
The topics dealt with at WCRR 2016
In addition to the plenary sessions, the working sessions will be “Vision & Future” and “Today’s Research” which will be divided into the eight thematic areas selected by the committees: Rolling Stock – Infrastructure – Rail System – Door-to-door passenger mobility – Freight logistics – Sustainability – Economy & Politics – Operations & Safety. Each topic will be subdivided into 6 specific subject areas so that they can be discussed in greater detail. The biggest novelty is the face-to-face between the audience and the speakers. Finally, 11 awards will be presented: eight for the best papers (one for each topic under discussion), one for the best paper from a young researcher (under 30), one for the best e-poster and one for the best proof of concept.
Submission of abstracts by 30 April 2015
The deadline for submitting abstracts by anyone wishing to present his/her paper at the next edition of WCRR is this coming 30 April, with registration on-line. By 31 October 2015 the abstracts which have been accepted will be announced and by the end of 31 January 2016 the written papers must be handed in so that final revision can be carried out.
