New technologies create new opportunities for the railways and society of the 21st century

The railways of the world are facing different problems. In some countries, ensuring railways are competitive against road and air transport is critical. There are railways for which increasing transportation capacity is one of the most urgent requirements. All railways must increase efficiency and environmental friendliness.

These facts lead to the conclusion that there is no single fixed remedy useful for all the railways around the world. However, from the view point of each engineering discipline, NEW TECHNOLOGY is being continually developed and awaits implementation.

The words NEW TECHNOLOGY may seem very general. However, any engineering area that does not constantly introduce NEW TECHNOLOGY will soon diminish. Ceaseless efforts in improving NEW TECHNOLOGY and continuing progress in all fields of research are essential. NEW TECHNOLOGY does not necessarily mean advanced, highly sophisticated, or expensive engineering methodologies. It may be new or improved processes to transport people not only from station to station, but also from house to house, which are advantageous over conventional ways. NEW TECHNOLOGY must create new dimensions of productivity and quality for improved performance at lower costs.

Once we have lists of new technology field by field, we can organize and group them. Then we can formulate them in an interdisciplinary way. This creates another higher dimension for international collaboration of research work.

From this viewpoint, it is imperative to identify strategic objectives for railways to incorporate railway research and development using NEW TECHNOLOGY. We will invite distinguished engineers and researchers to elaborate on these objectives at a series of workshops at WCRR in 1999, supplementing the presentation sessions.

As the final conference of WCRR in this century and being the first held in Asia, we would like you, as a railway engineer, to submit papers on NEW TECHNOLOGY adaptable to the railway business. The proceedings of WCRR in any form, whether electronic or conventional, will be a compass indicating the direction for advancements in the state of the art of railway engineering. They will also serve as a strategic list of possibilities and subjects to be addressed in the next century.

WCRR'99 Congress Secretariat,
RTRI
2-8-38, Hikari-cho, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo
Postal code: 185-8540 Japan 
(Mail can be delivered to RTRI only specifying "185-8540 Japan")
Tel	+81-42-580-6481
Fax	+81-42-580-6482
email	wcrr99@rtri.or.jp