Bombardier Transportation President Andre Navarri Calls for Change of
Transportation Policies to Support Sustainable Mobility
OECD International Transport Forum Examines 'Transport and Energy:
the Challenge of Climate Change'
BERLIN, GERMANY--(Marketwire - May 29, 2008) - Participating in the
OECD International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany, today, Andre
Navarri, President of Bombardier Transportation, called for a change
in transportation policies throughout Europe in order to promote
sustainable modes of transportation.
At the forum, which carried the theme 'Transport and Energy: The
Challenge of Climate Change', Mr. Navarri stated: "The current status
of our planet demands that we develop integrated transport systems
that pro-actively rebalance the three major modes of transport -
road, rail and air - to conserve energy, reduce congestion and reduce
pollution. The reality today, as it has been for the past 50 years,
is that road and air, still dominate investment and development focus
to the detriment of rail."
Following a keynote address by the German Federal Chancellor, Angela
Merkel, and in the presence of Ministers of Transport as well as high
ranking representatives from 51 countries, Mr. Navarri joined a panel
of industry and government representatives on 'Implementing
Integrated Policies and Planning'.
"Sustainable mobility means minimizing individual car and truck
traffic on roads, and increasing passenger and freight traffic on the
rail", Mr. Navarri said. "This is a key challenge of the 21st
century. Government policies need to do more to encourage large-scale
investments in better public transport. Policy-makers have to
fundamentally change transportation policies in their countries, on
national, regional and community levels", he added.
Mr. Navarri cited examples in the United Kingdom and Switzerland
where policies such as congestion charging and heavy vehicle payload
taxes are having a meaningful impact on pollution, congestion and
modal shift. He referred to examples in some of the fastest growing
economies of the world, such as India and China, where sustainable
transport development focused on mass transit and rail infrastructure
is at the heart of their multi-year economic development strategies.
On a regulatory level, Mr. Navarri also called on European policy
makers to increase and support inter-operability, or uninterrupted
cross-border, cross-system traffic, and standardization for the rail
industry, thus creating a truly internal market for railway equipment
in Europe. "Standardization and inter-operability across Europe will
be key to raising energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions", he
commented.
According to Mr. Navarri, the rail industry fully supports the
concept of inter-modality and creating a level playing field between
the different modes of transport. "Our position is aimed at creating
the right conditions for fair competition", Mr Navarri said. "Today's
rail industry is delivering the most eco-friendly modes of mass
transit available, here and now," he added.
Mr. Navarri concluded his remarks by referring to an OECD analysis
which concluded that the transport sector caused an estimated 30% of
total global CO2 emissions, of which 84% came from road transport and
just one percent from rail.
"The answer is staring us in the face", he said.
Note to editors:
Useful company background facts and contact details follow.
Background facts and figures
About Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation has its global headquarters in Berlin,
Germany with a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed
base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide. The Group offers the
broadest product portfolio and is recognized as the leader in the
global rail sector.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions,
from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation
equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global
corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year
ended Jan. 31, 2008, were $17.5 billion US, and its shares are traded
on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index
component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America
indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.
Contacts:
Germany, Austria
Heiner Spannuth
+ 49 174 - 926 2691
