International 
co-operation
 agreement

FleetWatch does not cover rail issues but we picked up an interesting snippet we feel will definitely be of interest to our readers.

It was sourced out of Ottawa and pertains to an agreement signed between the railway associations of Canada and South Africa who have agreed in principle to co-operate in promoting efficient land transport public policies and to share rail-related technical expertise between their industries.

The agreement follows the G8 summit accord in Canada to help Africa with governance issues. A formal agreement will be signed shortly. Bill Rowat, President and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada said the RAC welcomes the opportunity to share its knowledge and experience with the recently formed Railroad Association of South Africa (RRA).

"RRA has an important role to play in transforming policies in South Africa, the Southern Africa Development Community and within the African continent concerning transport development," said Rowat.

"We will share experiences, intelligence and technical information to achieve international best practices and efficiencies in the fields of overland transport planning, operations and intermodal co-operation," he said. "We had an initial exchange visit with them in January and followed up by sharing information since then." (Note the intermodal co-operation).

The railway associations will build on an earlier Declaration of Intent signed between Canada's Ministry of Transport and the National Department of Transport of the Republic of South Africa and will co-operate to enhance railway safety, facilitate good governance practices, and improve cross border railway operations.

The RAC represents 56 freight and passenger railways operating in Canada. They originate six million carloads and containers of freight, and carry 51 million passengers. The RAC conducts research and lobbies key audiences to increase public awareness of the role rail plays in Canada's trade dependent economy, and what it can do to reduce road and airport congestion, pollution and fuel consumption.

The RAC develops rules and standards for the industry, public safety campaigns, training, and supplies specialised services to members, customers and municipal governments to ensure safe, secure, reliable transportation. Further information is available on the RAC's website at www.railcan.ca.

RRA was inaugurated October 2000 with 25 corporate members, including operators and large suppliers of goods and services. The association has an elected Council of seven.