Rail Leaders to Converge on Kuala Lumpur in September

Rail Business Asia (RBA) 2014 will bring together leaders in the rail industry for a comprehensive overview of the rapidly expanding rail development in Asia.

The annual rail conference and exhibition, now in its second year, will be held from 9 to 11 September 2014 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

"2013 saw an increase of 1.2% in the number of public utilizing public transport within the Greater Klang Valley, with 20.8% of that number using the system during the morning peak period. In the same region, rail in particular saw a 9% increase in usage, with 5.7 million trips being recorded during the peak morning period. For the first time in Malaysia's history, the ratio of ridership between rail and bus stands at 52:48, showing a preference for rail amongst daily commuters," said Tan Sri Dato ' Seri Syed Hamid Bin Syed Jaafar Albar , Chairman of Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) Malaysia.

Co-hosted by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB), RBA 2014 is earmarked to be a must-attend conference & exhibition of the rail industry.

"Following a successful inaugural event last year, RBA 2013 hosted over 800 participants, 80% from ASEAN, 6% from Europe, 5% from the rest of Asia and 1% from North America . This year we are expecting over 2,000 participants representing the rail industry," said M. Gandhi, Managing Director - ASEAN of UBM Asia, the organizer.

Over 35 rail experts and thought leaders will share insights and discuss key updates and challenges on investment, mobility and greater connectivity in the rail industry. Participants will gain crucial industry insights via 4 keynote presentations, 5 case studies, 8 discussion panels and 2 industry presentations. Topics discussed will include optimizing rail-route planning, exploring the efficiency and performance of HSR links and public-private partnership (PPP) funding of rail infrastructure. Sample case studies include disaster management by Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation and transit oriented development in Shunjyuku, Shibuya and Tokyo stations in Japan by East Japan Railway Company. Keynote presentations will feature key industry experts such as Masaki Ogata, Chairman of East Japan Railway Company and Milko Papazoff, ASEAN Representative of International Union of Railways (UIC).

"We are confident that you will find your participation and involvement in Rail Business Asia, a worthwhile investment," said Y.Bhg. Dato' Sri Ir Dr Judin Bin Abdul Karim, Chief Executive of Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia.

CEOs and senior management from various government agencies, rail asset owners, operators and infrastructure developers such as the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Philippines , Vietnam Railways, MTR Corporation Hong Kong, Light Rail Transit Authority Philippines, PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions and Bombardier Transportation just to name a few, have confirmed their participation as well.

CSR Corporation Limited, the largest rail transit equipment manufacturer in China, is participating as a Gold Sponsor and CMC, an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) group of companies within three core industries namely public transportation, telecommunications and oil and gas, is participating as an Associate Sponsor for RBA 2014. Exhibitors include Astasoft, Pypun-KD Hong Kong, Subway USA , Colas Rail, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Transient Resources.