The European Railway Award 2010 was presented today to former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González for political achievements and to former Deutsche Bahn Board Member Roland Heinisch for technical achievements. Since 2007, the European rail sector has honoured outstanding achievements in the development of competitive and environmentally sustainable rail transport. The European Railway Award 2010 attracted more than 450 guests from all over Europe, including high-level politicians and transport stakeholders.
The former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González received the European Railway Award 2010 for his decision to boost the Spanish economy by making large investments in high speed rail infrastructure. The prize was handed over by the European Commission’s Vice-President Antonio Tajani. In his laudatory speech, Mr Tajani underlined the personal role Felipe González played in transforming the Spanish rail infrastructure into one the most modern systems in Europe. Vice-President Antonio Tajani said: "Giving the ‘European Railway Award’ to Felipe González is a recognition of the effort undertaken by a whole country, Spain, to keep pace with other EU member states in the field of high speed trains. This modernisation project was also constructed thanks to the intelligent and extensive use of EU structural and cohesion funds."
Prime Minister Felipe González, who regretted not being able to attend the ceremony in person, said in his video message that the future of Europe will depend much on a the future of the railways: “The idea was to transform Spain. It was a project of modernisation of Spain, to gain in efficiency and productivity, to change from more polluting transport modes to a much more environmentally friendly mode. We made a shift with a certain vision which was, if I am allowed to say, historical. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and it will be so again in the future. With the dimensions of Europe, rail is the answer, not only for passengers but also for goods.”
The European Railway Award 2010 for technical achievements was presented to the German rail engineer Roland Heinisch by Karel Vinck from the European Commission. As a long-standing member of the executive board of Deutsche Bahn AG and head of the German infrastructure manager, Roland Heinisch has significantly contributed to the technical development of railways on both a national and international level, not least driving the implementation of high-speed connections between France, Belgium, and Germany. In a personal laudatory speech on Roland Heinisch, Karel Vinck, rail corridor coordinator for the European Commission, said: “The reason why rail has such a potential today, is because people like Roland Heinisch have contributed so much, without respite, by their creativity, their innovative capability, their common sense and their extraordinary knowledge accumulated during their long careers. Let us hope that the decision-making stakeholders will build on this experience and set the right priorities and commit the necessary means to give the railway sector a chance to unfold its economic and environmental potential.”
When receiving the European Railway Award 2010, Roland Heinisch looked back at his long and successful international career: “My concern has always been to ensure the railways’ ongoing competitiveness on the transport market, including rail’s environmental assets, both at system and company level. As fascinating as they are, technical concerns were for me never an end in themselves but a means – indeed a pre-requisite – to achieve an end, to make the railways a marketable and competitive prospect. ”
The European Railway Award is organised by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE), and the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM). In previous years, the European Railway Award was awarded to outstanding personalities like the ‘father’ of TGV Jean Dupuy, the key ERTMS developer Bengt Sterner, late Transport Commissioner Karel van Miert, and Swiss Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger.
Pictures of the European Railway Award 2010 and the CER, UNIFE, and EIM Annual Reception will be available as of 4 February at www.annualreception.eu.
Background:
The ‘European Railway Award’
The European Railway Award regularly honours outstanding political and technical achievements in the development of economically and environmentally sustainable rail transport. The award comes with prize money of 10,000 Euro each, which is donated to charities of the laureates’ choice.
Felipe González – Laureate “Political Award”
Felipe González (*1942), Spanish Prime Minister from 1982 to 1996, decided more than 20 years ago to invest in high speed rail infrastructure to boost the economy. The decisions taken by Felipe González in 1986 and subsequent years have been the starting point for the success story of Spanish high speed rail transport. Felipe González took the decision that was key to the integration of the Spanish high speed railway system into the European railway system: the construction of the new high speed line from Madrid to Seville with the standard European gauge. He also initiated a reform of suburban traffic: the "Plan Felipe" changed spectacularly the role of the train in Spanish cities. Besides considerable government investment, Felipe González ensured financing from EU structural and cohesion funds to develop Spain's rail infrastructure.
A curriculum vitae of Felipe González is available below in pdf format.
Roland Heinisch – Laureate “Technical Award”
Roland Heinisch (*1942), Board Member of the German Railways DB AG from 1991 to 2007 and Chairman of the German rail infrastructure manager DB Netz AG from 2000 to 2006, has contributed extraordinarily to the technical development of railways on both a national and international level throughout his working life. He has also been a strategic forethinker of German railway reform. He was responsible for the technical merger of the East German and West German railways in the 1990s and for many years took leading positions in the International Union of Railways (UIC).
A curriculum vitae of Roland Heinisch is available below in pdf format.
Speeches:
Felipe González
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to thank you for this distinction and this prize. While I do not know if I deserve it, I am here any way, having taken decisions that were important at the time that I believe were a signal to the rest of Europe about my country’s modernisation effort.
The idea was to transform Spain. It was a project of modernisation of Spain, to gain in efficiency and productivity, to change from more polluting transport modes to a much more environmentally friendly mode. We made a shift with a certain vision which was, if I am allowed to say, historical.
I would say it was not only opportune, but maybe also quite necessary. With Europe’s dimensions and demographical density, I believe rail to be more or less the perfect response to the problem of transport, in comparison to other alternatives. There will always be diverse alternatives, but I believe that for our concerns of modernisation, technology, efficiency, environment, and climate change, rail is the perfect answer.
We cannot avoid going back to the concept of railways. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and it will be so again in the future. I do not want to shock any one, but the comparison can be used. I repeat, with the dimensions of Europe, rail is the answer, not only for passengers but also for goods. This is why, if I had had the time, I would have made the proposal for Spain to continue progressively substituting road with rail in the transport of goods.
Regarding the prize money, we are thinking about helping the children from Haiti, especially with the situation they are in today. Even though they have always been in a dramatic situation in recent times, today‘s is appalling. We will therefore look for an NGO (non-governmental organisation) dedicated to helping the children.”
Roland Heinisch
(excerpt to be checked against delivery)
“Ladies and gentlemen, my work and commitment to the rail system, in all its multi-faceted, interdependent nature, is one I have pursued with energy and responsibility, but it was only possible due to the active support of many colleagues and decision-makers at all levels (up to that of the ‘Big Bosses’) at other European railways, including those from the former ‘national rail’ companies, since it was at those railways that most of the technology underpinning the rail business today was first initiated and developed.
My (at times very time-consuming) commitment was only possible due to my colleagues on the board of what was until 1993 the Deutsche Bundesbahn and then from 1994 Deutsche Bahn AG: first Rainer Gohlke, then Heinz Dürr, Johannes Ludewig and finally Hartmut Mehdorn, who accepted and allowed me to pursue my work and beliefs.
However, I also owe a debt of gratitude to the understanding and support provided especially by Philipe Roummeguere as well as various UIC, CER and EIM directors, and (last but not least) to the many willing and able people working in the associations, in particular the UIC ‘interpreters’ in the fullest sense of the word.
My concern has always been to ensure the railways’ ongoing competitiveness on the transport market, including rail’s environmental assets, both at system and company level! As fascinating as they are, technical concerns were for me never an end in themselves but a means – indeed a pre-requisite – to achieve an end, to make the railways a marketable and competitive prospect.
This belief has always applied to technical/operational safety, which can only be ensured by including ‘the human factor’ in all functions and phases and at all levels. But it also applied to the functional security of the railways as a technical system, with the need for availability of existing technology and the targeted development of new.
My watchword was and remains: New technologies must not (only) be more expensive to procure, but must also become ‘cheaper’ in their Life Cycle Costs and must always add value as regards their availability, quality and productivity – their ‘potential for success’ must serve as an indicator of their intended aim and as a benchmark for their monitoring.
My call to all rail managers:
1. No one can control the rail system alone... not the railways, not the train operators, not the infrastructure managers, not manufacturers, nor government approval bodies: all must play their part, each clear about his respective role and specific responsibility. System issues concerning stresses, dimensioning, operational reliability and new areas of work with new technical dimensions must be coordinated via joint platforms.
2. The engineering cycle, with feedback from operational experience and maintenance looped back into development, must be maintained. Moreover, no important part of the system can be altered without repercussions, unless its consequences/tolerability are simultaneously accounted for on the basis of a thorough system understanding, including interdependencies.
At the end of my speech I would like to wish a prosperous, long-term future for the railways in Europe and across the world, and a ‘pleasant journey’ at all times.“
Felipe González
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to thank you for this distinction and this prize. While I do not know if I deserve it, I am here any way, having taken decisions that were important at the time that I believe were a signal to the rest of Europe about my country’s modernisation effort.
The idea was to transform Spain. It was a project of modernisation of Spain, to gain in efficiency and productivity, to change from more polluting transport modes to a much more environmentally friendly mode. We made a shift with a certain vision which was, if I am allowed to say, historical.
I would say it was not only opportune, but maybe also quite necessary. With Europe’s dimensions and demographical density, I believe rail to be more or less the perfect response to the problem of transport, in comparison to other alternatives. There will always be diverse alternatives, but I believe that for our concerns of modernisation, technology, efficiency, environment, and climate change, rail is the perfect answer.
We cannot avoid going back to the concept of railways. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and it will be so again in the future. I do not want to shock any one, but the comparison can be used. I repeat, with the dimensions of Europe, rail is the answer, not only for passengers but also for goods. This is why, if I had had the time, I would have made the proposal for Spain to continue progressively substituting road with rail in the transport of goods.
Regarding the prize money, we are thinking about helping the children from Haiti, especially with the situation they are in today. Even though they have always been in a dramatic situation in recent times, today‘s is appalling. We will therefore look for an NGO (non-governmental organisation) dedicated to helping the children.”
Roland Heinisch
(excerpt to be checked against delivery)
“Ladies and gentlemen, my work and commitment to the rail system, in all its multi-faceted, interdependent nature, is one I have pursued with energy and responsibility, but it was only possible due to the active support of many colleagues and decision-makers at all levels (up to that of the ‘Big Bosses’) at other European railways, including those from the former ‘national rail’ companies, since it was at those railways that most of the technology underpinning the rail business today was first initiated and developed.
My (at times very time-consuming) commitment was only possible due to my colleagues on the board of what was until 1993 the Deutsche Bundesbahn and then from 1994 Deutsche Bahn AG: first Rainer Gohlke, then Heinz Dürr, Johannes Ludewig and finally Hartmut Mehdorn, who accepted and allowed me to pursue my work and beliefs.
However, I also owe a debt of gratitude to the understanding and support provided especially by Philipe Roummeguere as well as various UIC, CER and EIM directors, and (last but not least) to the many willing and able people working in the associations, in particular the UIC ‘interpreters’ in the fullest sense of the word.
My concern has always been to ensure the railways’ ongoing competitiveness on the transport market, including rail’s environmental assets, both at system and company level! As fascinating as they are, technical concerns were for me never an end in themselves but a means – indeed a pre-requisite – to achieve an end, to make the railways a marketable and competitive prospect.
This belief has always applied to technical/operational safety, which can only be ensured by including ‘the human factor’ in all functions and phases and at all levels. But it also applied to the functional security of the railways as a technical system, with the need for availability of existing technology and the targeted development of new.
My watchword was and remains: New technologies must not (only) be more expensive to procure, but must also become ‘cheaper’ in their Life Cycle Costs and must always add value as regards their availability, quality and productivity – their ‘potential for success’ must serve as an indicator of their intended aim and as a benchmark for their monitoring.
My call to all rail managers:
1. No one can control the rail system alone... not the railways, not the train operators, not the infrastructure managers, not manufacturers, nor government approval bodies: all must play their part, each clear about his respective role and specific responsibility. System issues concerning stresses, dimensioning, operational reliability and new areas of work with new technical dimensions must be coordinated via joint platforms.
2. The engineering cycle, with feedback from operational experience and maintenance looped back into development, must be maintained. Moreover, no important part of the system can be altered without repercussions, unless its consequences/tolerability are simultaneously accounted for on the basis of a thorough system understanding, including interdependencies.
At the end of my speech I would like to wish a prosperous, long-term future for the railways in Europe and across the world, and a ‘pleasant journey’ at all times.“
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