Conference details:
ASTONRail Project Overview:
The railway industry is rapidly expanding and has a significant transnational presence.
To keep up with this growth, it requires a highly skilled workforce capable of mastering new technologies, implementing innovation, and handling the complexity of railway systems in the digital age.
To achieve this goal, the ASTONRail strategic partnership aims to establish a collaborative effort toward innovation in rail higher education.
By addressing the staff shortage in the railway industry and equipping current and future employees with the necessary skills and competencies, ASTONRail will become a crucial reference in the field of rail university degree programs, higher education provisions, and rail skills development.
Through its activities and intellectual outputs, ASTONRail will pave the way for the development and implementation of a common Europe-wide standard on rail skills development for a vibrant workforce.
ASTONRail Final Conference:
Join us and be part of the final event of the Erasmus+ project ASTONRail, organised by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
The ASTONRail Final Conference is scheduled for June 20, 2023, and promises to be a comprehensive networking event that brings together the railway industry and higher education stakeholders.
The Organizing Committee cordially invites you to participate and engage in discussions on the current state of talent development in the railway sector.
| 8:30 | 09:00 | Registration and coffee | |
| 09:00 | 09:30 | Welcome & ASTONRail Overview Marin Marinov, Project leader, ASTON University |
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| 09:30 | 10:00 | Invited Keynote – Ludolf Kerkeling Board member of Havelländische Eisenbahn (HVLE) |
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| 10:00 | 10:30 | ASTONRail Handbook | |
| 10:30 | 11:00 | Mingle – coffee break | |
| 11:00 | 11:30 | Invited Keynote: “Innovation, communication, and talent attraction” –Begoña Tiscar (Siemens) | |
| 11:30 | 12:00 | Invited Keynote – Hans Celander – Head of Competence at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) | |
| 12:00 | 13:00 | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 13:00 | 13:30 | ASTONRail – Standard | |
| 13:30 | 14:00 | Invited Keynote: “The EU project STAFFER, Skill Training Alliance For the Future European Rail system” – Prof. Alice Consilvio, University of Genoa | |
| 14:00 | 14:30 | Invited Keynote – Dr Janene Piip, Director SkillSmart Careers, Australia | |
| 14:30 | 15:15 | Mingle – coffee break | |
| 15:15 | 15:45 | Invited Keynote – Miguel Faro Viana, Infraestruturas de Portugal | |
| 15:45 | 16:45 | Round table/discussion round | |
| 16:45 | 17:00 | Concluding remarks | |
| Mingle and Conference Dinner |
Dr. Marin Marinov
ASTONRail Project Coordinator and Lecturer, Aston University
Dr Marin Marinov is the ASTONRAIL project coordinator. He joined Aston University in February 2019 to work as a lecturer and researcher within the Engineering Systems and Supply Chain Management (ESSCM) department in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Marin is now the ESSCM research lead managing the research portfolio of the department. The previous nine and a half years he had spent in the employ of Newcastle University, North East of England as a (senior) research associate. He had worked within the Newrail’s research centre, developing innovative concepts for rail-focused and logistics-orientated services. Marin had also been responsible the NewRail’s teaching and learning portfolio, including a PhD opportunity scheme in Organisation, Management and Economics of Train Movement and Rail systems design.
Anne Katrin-Osdoba
ASTONRail Project team member, Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau)
Anne-Katrin Osdoba is member of the ASTONRail project team at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau), Germany. She is working as research associate in the Research Group Transport Logistics at TH Wildau and she has 14 years of experience in national and international research projects. At the conference she will present, together with Prof. Dr. Martin Lehnert, the ASTONRail Handbook which has been developed in the ASTONRail project under the responsibility of TH Wildau.
Martin Lehnert
ASTONRail Project Manager and Lecturer, Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau)
Prof. Dr. Martin Lehnert is project manager of the ASTONRail project at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau), Germany. He joined TH Wildau in 2017 in the professorship of transportation systems and teaches in the transportation system engineering field. The previous seven years he had spent in the employ of the Technical University of Dresden, Germany as a (senior) research associate. Currently, he is also Head of Research Safety and Security at German Centre for Rail Traffic Research. At the conference, he will present, together with Anne-Katrin Osdoba, the ASTONRail Handbook which has been developed in the ASTONRail project under the responsibility of TH Wildau.
Ludolf Kerkeling
CEO, Havelländische Eisenbahn AG / President, Network of European Railways e.V. (Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen e.V.)
Ludolf Kerkeling has dedicated his entire professional career to the railway sector and has been a member of the board of directors of Havelländische Eisenbahn AG since 2014. This innovative rail freight transport company has significantly influenced the development and market launch of a six-axle dual-mode locomotive (Stadler EuroDual). He has also been the CEO of DIE GÜTERBAHNEN (NEE) since 2013, which organises DB Cargo’s competitors in Germany, with a market share of almost 60% in the country.
In his upcoming keynote, titled “The Challenge of Attracting and Retaining the Right People,” he will highlight how companies can gain a competitive advantage by successfully acquiring, training, developing, and retaining the right people in the long term. Drawing from his experiences in the German railway sector, he will share valuable insights and solutions on this critical topic.
Begoña Tiscar
Head of R&D, Mainline Area, Siemens Mobility
Begoña is the Head of R&D for Mainline Area in Siemens Mobility. She has 20 years of experience in the mobility sector (rail, signaling), dealing with international projects and multicultural teams; loving challenges. She is also the founder of the “Female Voice in Mobility” initiative, a STEM Ambassador in Siemens, and a vice-president in EJE&CON.
Hans Celander
Head of Competence, Swedish Transport Administration
Hans Celander is a seasoned HR and recruitment professional with over 25 years of experience in industries such as the automotive, telecom, service, and public sectors. In his keynote, “Challenges for Talent Recruitment to the Railway Industry”, he will address the significant challenges Sweden and the rest of Europe face in attracting high-competence personnel to the railway industry, especially with the massive railway investments planned for the next decade or more.
Alice Consilvio
Transport Engineering Researcher, University of Genoa
Dr. Alice Consilvio is a Transportation Engineering Researcher at the University of Genoa, Italy, specialising in modeling, control, and optimisation of rail transport systems and services. She is a member of the coordination team for the ERASMUS+ project STAFFER, the first Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills for rail supply and transport industries. Dr. Consilvio is also the Deputy Chair of the international Master of Science Course in Safety Engineering for Transport, Logistics, and Production at the University of Genoa, and has contributed significantly to multiple funded Horizon 2020 and Shift2Rail European projects since 2014.
Janene Piip
Director, SkillSmart Careers
Janene Piip is an expert in transformational learning, providing workforce development, training, and skills development projects in rural South Australia on the Eyre Peninsula. The region is renowned for its $ 4 billion per annum wheat and grain exports and relies on rail and road to transport grain to ports for shipping worldwide.
Janene is currently the Program Director of the Women’s Leadership and Development Program, which she created during COVID-19 as she was aware of the negative flow-on effects for communities, jobs and individuals when the major rail company ceased operations due to impending capital costs associated with upgrading the rail infrastructure of the region.
Miguel Faro
Director, Training and Development, Infraestruturas de Portugal
Miguel Faro is the Director of Training and Development at Infraestruturas de Portugal – IP, a Portuguese public company responsible for railways and road infrastructure management, since 2006. With over 35 years of professional experience in human resources management positions in both public and private companies, he also teaches organisational psychology, human resources management, and training at Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada – Lisbon, the oldest university in Portugal for psychological studies. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the UIC Talent and Expertise Development Platform.
In his upcoming keynote, “Talent Management in the European Rail Sector: Myths, Errors, and Modest Advice,” he will address the overrated concept of talent management in human resources management. Despite the challenging demographic and brand issues that the rail sector must address, talent management is not a miraculous solution. The presentation will put the concept of talent management in perspective and offer recommendations to promote organizational effectiveness based on common human resources management practices within the sector.
The conference is being held at Sweden’s largest technical university, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Swedish: Kungliga Tekniska högskolan), situated in Stockholm, the largest urban area in Scandinavia.
Option 1: Coach
- Overview: The cheapest is with the Airport Coaches, Flygbussarna. They will take you to the City Terminal in downtown Stockholm.
- Frequency: every 10-15 minutes; all day.
- Cost: SEK 139 (EUR 12.20) for a single ticket; SEK 255 (EUR 22.30) for a round trip. Tickets are 10% cheaper when bought online or via app (click here to get the Flygbussarna App for Android and here for iOS). Click here to purchase tickets online.
- Travel time: 40 minutes.
Option 2: Train
- Overview: Another option is the airport train, Arlanda Express. This will take you to the Central station, where you can connect to public transport or take a taxi.
- Frequency: every 10 minutes; from 04:00 to 23:00.
- Cost: SEK 320 (EUR 28.00) for a single ticket; SEK 600 (EUR 52.50) for a round trip. Ticket prices are significantly reduced for groups. Click here to learn about all prices and buy tickets.
- Travel time: 18 minutes.
Option 3: Taxi
- Frequency: On demand; all day.
- Cost: [fixed price] SEK 695 (EUR 60.90) for 1-4 persons; SEK 1,115 (EUR 97.70) for 5-8 persons. NOTICE: Only companies who have a contract with Swedavia Airports will offer a fixed price. Taxis that have a contract with Swedavia are outside the arrival hall at Terminal 5 and outside Terminal 2. More information can be found here.
- Travel time: approximately 40 minutes, depending on traffic.
The easiest and cheapest way to get around in Stockholm is with public transportation. The public transport system encompasses buses, tramways, and metro, as well as commuter trains and some ferries.
The transport provider SL has recently changed to a completely electronic ticket system. You cannot pay in cash when getting on board a bus, tramway, metro, or train. You can buy a card at the airport, any SL Center, Pressbyrån, or at the manual ticket booths when entering the subway. Have the card pre-set to journeys within one zone (all of central Stockholm is the same zone).
You can also use the app “SL-Reseplanerare och biljetter” to pay for your ticket with your credit card.
If you are planning to use public transport, we strongly encourage you to download the app “Res i Sthlm”, which can be set to English and will help you plan your travels.
The most convenient hotel is Elite Hotel Arcadia. It is located within walking distance from the venue, and only a 5 min (400 m) walk to reach KTH main campus.