Vpi-symposium 2023 malte lawrenz eroeffnung 2

“Now is the time to act: 25 percent market share for railway freight traffic needs more than tailwind!”

Chairman Malte Lawrenz welcomed the 245 participants of the VPI Symposium with an appeal to politicians to finally get up to speed when it comes to modernising the railways.
 
Modernising infrastructure, introducing ETCS and Digital Automatic Coupling, counteracting the shortage of skilled workers – Malte Lawrenz focused on these three fields of action at the opening of the 13th VPI Symposium. Only by acting quickly and decisively can the growth target of a 25 percent market share by 2030 be achieved, the Association President emphasised in Hamburg at the start of the Symposium. Malte Lawrenz warned: “In view of the current crises, the transport revolution is in danger of being pushed into the background. We urgently need to counteract this.” Germany needs the most environmentally friendly mode of transport – in other words railways – both for climate protection and to cope with the constantly growing transport tasks. “The companies in the sector are investing in the future of the transport mode. We expect the same from politics,” Lawrenz emphasised.
Today’s mobility summit in the Chancellor’s Office – to which only the top echelons of the automotive industry were invited – was remarkable in view of the government’s mandate for a transport revolution, according to Lawrenz. “If the Chancellor wants to make the topic of sustainable mobility a top priority, the most environmentally friendly mode of transport should also be in the spotlight. Not only charging stations for e-cars should be on the agenda at the Chancellor’s Office – but also ETCS or the DAK,” declared Malte Lawrenz.
The first part of the Symposium’s programme focused on what has been done in the field of rail transport policy in the past year and what still needs to be pushed forward. In the morning, the three guest speakers Dirk Flege (Pro-Rail Alliance), Gilles Peterhans (UIP) and Jörg Stephan (BMDV) reported on and discussed these issues with the Symposium guests. The afternoon was devoted to the main subject of “Digital Automatic Coupling”: Dr Jens Engelmann (Railiable) and Matthias Knüpling (VTG/UIP) gave insights into developments in the European committees. Dr Fabian Wartzek (DB AG), Andreas Lipka (DB Cargo) and Matthias Knüpling reported from the operational working groups in the fields of technology, financing and migration.
The Symposium was preceded the evening before by the traditional New Year’s reception at the Hotel Hafen Hamburg. Pleased that the popular meeting could be held again at the beginning of the year after a forced break of two years, the 300 participants took the opportunity to network.


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