On 3-4 October 2024, the North American Regional Assembly gathered in Fresno, California, to focus on the digitalisation of the rail sector and follow the developments of high-speed rail.
The California High Speed Rail Authority hosted the two-day meeting, welcoming guests from across the region and UIC. NARA Chair Barbara Barr, United States of America Federal Railroad Administration, gave her report and emphasised the important role that international rail traffic plays in the region. In his address, UIC General Director François Davenne, welcomed the attendees and highlighted his continued dedication to developing the region’s activities. The NARA members then re-elected both the NARA Chair, Barr, and Vice-Chair, Jeff Moller, for a second term and proceeded to share updates and review progress on priority actions.
The “Vision for Future Digital Railways and Public Transport” workshop began with a keynote speech from Davenne, in which he showcased ongoing UIC projects such as the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM), Smart communications for efficient rail activities (SFERA), and the Open Rail Foundation, among others.
Next, Matt Krech, Transport Canada, presented his company’s work on leveraging digitisation to support advanced inspections for the rail sector. Galiane Yergeau, VIA Rail Canada, then shared the results of their AI-powered eco-driving solution pilot project.
Then Barr provided updates on three ongoing projects from the FRA Office of Safety, with Moller describing other ongoing projects from the AAR: one using wayside detectors to monitor the health of assets and another focusing on a shared railway dispatching system for all railway undertakings in the Chicago region. Petra Mollet and Art Guzzeti from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) then contributed the key technological trends their organisation has identified. Lastly, a joint presentation from Bruce Armistead, Patrice Letard and Suresh Venukathan, California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), focused on how they must consider the wider complexity of the system when digitalising, the importance of harmonising data input, and the need to look to the future.
On day two, the design and planning teams along with local community groups took the attendees on a walking tour of the future Fresno High Speed Rail Station area. They highlighted how the project would also be used to restore the old, historic Fresno station, build much need public spaces, and be a literal bridge between downtown Fresno and Chinatown, bringing two communities closer together. This was followed by a presentation on the ongoing design process for all four of the Central Valley stations.
The site visits continued into the afternoon. At both the San Joaquin River Viaduct and the Kings Tulare Station Viaduct, the attendees were greeted by CHSRA staff who provided more details about the ongoing construction and grade separation work.
Earlier in the week, UIC had joined forces with APTA during their APTA TRANSForm conference, held 29 September to 2 October 2024 in Anaheim, California to deliver the “Are you Future Ready? Planning for Climate and Seismic Resilience” panel, with Lucie Anderton, UIC Regional Coordinator North America and Head of Sustainability moderating the discussion. The panel provided an opportunity to share concrete examples of how the public transport sector is building up its resilience to extreme weather conditions.
Looking to 2025, the next NARA event will most likely be hosted by VIA Rail Canada, who will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of their Toronto-Vancouver route.
