JOINT EUROPEAN RESEARCH FOR A BETTER RAILWAY
EURNEX
Rail Research UK has secured funding from the European Commission to be a leading part of a European Rail Research Network of Excellence called EURNEX which will co-ordinate European railway research.
EURNEX is part of the European Commission Framework 6 Research Programme. For the last 15 months since the announcement of the Research Programme, Professor Madelin, in his role as Director of Rail Research UK, has worked with European colleagues and the Commission to develop the concept of EURNEX.
In essence EURNEX is a network made up of leading European rail research organisations who together are undertaking the majority of European research and includes over 60 universities and 600 research staff that specialise in rail research. The network will facilitate the sharing of resources, equipment and expertise from the groups. The member organisations are to be arranged within EURNEX into six regional groups and three main European railway associations. The groups will be controlled by a council of nine members, chaired by Professor Keith Madelin.
Rail Research UK will lead the UK/Benelux group that includes, Southampton, Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield, Imperial, Leeds, Loughborough, Birmingham, Nottingham and TU Delft Universities.
Professor Keith Madelin, Chair of EURNEX, says, 'The railways in the UK and throughout Europe must deliver a better service at less cost. National systems must be integrated so that passengers and freight can move freely across Europe. EURNEX will play a key role by providing an integrated world class research organisation to support the European railway industry, sharing our current knowledge, establishing new technologies and planning new joint research. The aim is a sustainable railway system and a strong competitive European railway industry.'
Access the EURNEX website