06-03-2017

Closer cooperation within the context of the TAF regulations and the project with RFI

Closer cooperation within the context of the TAF regulations and the project with RFI

Rome, 6th March 2017 – AlmavivA and Hit Rail b.v. stipulated a strategic cooperation agreement for interoperability services. It will allow for increasing connectivity and developing high-performance systems for the rail transport sector, in order to fulfil the new European technical specifications for interoperability (TSI) in the passenger and freight sectors.

AlmavivA, Italy’s leading provider of ICT services for the transport and logistics sectors, and Hit Rail b.v., a Dutch company that manages infrastructures for international data communication, have decided to combine their expertise and cooperate to offer new services for the rail transport sector. Within the context of this agreement, the companies will promote each other’s services and commercialise joint services on a non-exclusive basis.

AlmavivA will focus on software development, system hosting and management of applications, while Hit Rail will provide connectivity and interoperability by making available its extensive expertise in the European rail transport sector and relevant legislation. Hit Rail has a profound knowledge of the TAF and TAP regulations, of the common interface and of the messages exchanged between railway undertakings (RU) and infrastructure managers (IM).

The two companies will work side-by-side on joint projects to develop, implement and test systems capable of guaranteeing conformity to the TAF and TAP regulations.

The agreement follows the close cooperation that started between AlmavivA and Hit Rail b.v. involving the study of a solution for RFI (Italian Railway Network). This project is aimed at helping the company that manages Italy’s railway network to transpose certain parts of the European TAF regulations. The positive climate of the collaboration borne out of this project encouraged the two companies to sign a memorandum of understanding, at the end of January last year, which could lead to even closer cooperation in future.

The agreement arrives at a time of significant changes and progress affecting the European rail transport sector, characterised by a greater degree of liberalisation of railway systems by European countries, which encourages new, smaller operators to enter the market. Meanwhile, the European Union is set to introduce new regulations relative to interoperability and communication between railway systems, which will require a common interface and a greater use of standard messaging systems.

Smeraldo Fiorentini, the General Manager of AlmavivA’s Transportation Division, comments: “We have developed a close relationship with our colleagues at Hit Rail, and are enthusiastic at the idea of working together for the RFI project and other future collaborations. Thanks to these initiatives, we will be able to offer our clients a combined service based on our best experience in the ICT field, coupled with Hit Rail’s knowledge of the communication, interface and interoperability requirements currently required by European railway systems”.

Antonio Lopez, the Managing Director of Hit Rail, views the agreement with AlmavivA as an example of the growing collaboration between operators in the rail transport sector: “Our agreement with AlmavivA and the work we have thus far developed together for the RFI project will help both our companies to expand their range of the available services, and offer even more powerful solutions for IM and RU throughout Europe, capable of guaranteeing conformity to the new TSI regulations for freight and passenger transport”.