Abstract

ERRAC- ROADMAP covers research related to all types of freight and passenger rail services as well as their interaction with other modes within the transport system (High Speed and conventional rail over long, medium and short distances, as well as urban rail and co-modal services), the implementation of such research, and to support the various activities of the European Rail Research Advisory Council in 2008 and beyond and to favour the sustainable mobility of European citizens. ERRAC- ROADMAP will contribute to translate, monitor and disseminate to the whole European industry the strategic recommendations and guidelines of the SRRA. ERRAC-ROADMAP addresses the broad coordinating challenges of STT.2008.5.2.2 “Competitive transport operations”; it is a Level 1 Coordination and Support Action aiming at the very important area of coordinating rail research activities. This project is an essential coordination tool to ensure that the ERRAC 2020 Vision can be turned into a reality. Without effective coordination to ensure the relevance and applicability of the rail research activities it is impossible to prioritise the innovative methodologies and technologies for more competitive rail transport operations. ERRAC-ROADMAP will deliver the ROADMAPS to guide the rail research in order to provide a rail option that is reliable, environmentally friendly, efficient and economic to customers. The ROADMAPs themselves will address the issues, stakeholders and subjects to be considered when addressing the activities in the task, such as: - Holistic rail strategies for the minimisation of operation, environmental, maintenance and inspection costs for vehicles and infrastructure and the system in general. - Simplified and low cost rail maintenance and renovation of rail infrastructure providing reliable and high quality rail services with lower life cycle costs and environmental impacts - Improved real time information systems for rail operators, end users and passengers.