09:00

Welcome and opening remarks by the Chairperson

Timothy G. Galarnyk, Forensic Investigator of Rail and Urban Transportation Catastrophes and CEO, Construction Risk Management

Developments and Future Project Opportunities in Cambodia

09:10

Cambodia: Creating Asia’s first private national railway operator and future project opportunities

• An overview of Cambodia’s maintain and operate concession and future business development opportunities
• Outlining the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) rail corridors within the Trans Asian Railway, particularly the ‘missing link’ project to connect Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City
• Thailand’s Office of Transport Planning and rail priorities in the context of the Trans Asian Railway

David Kerr, CEO, Toll Royal Cambodian Railway
Paul Power, Team Leader, Restructuring of Cambodia Railway (ADB TA-4645), Principal Consultant, GMS Railway Strategy Study (ADB TA -7255), Canarail

High-Speed Developments, Analysis and Key Regional Projects

09:50

HSR postponement in Vietnam: evaluating future prospects for the prospect

• Assessing why the project was postponed and when it is likely to be given approval to proceed
• Evaluating whether the business case for the US$56 billion HSR network between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is economically sound

Nguyen Manh Hien, Expert, International Relations Dept, Vietnam Railways

10:20

HSR versus budget airlines: is the balance of power shifting towards rail?

• Assessing whether the balance of power is shifting towards rail travel as passengers consider environmental concerns, high security at airports and lower comfort levels of budget airlines
• To what extent are analysts correct in saying that high-speed rail is only competitive with airlines when a line is less than 800km?
• Assessing what strategies Eurostar and other HSR companies globally are using to compete against budget airlines, and how successful have they been

Yeon-myung Kim, Research Fellow of Air Transport Research, The Korean Transport Institute

10:50

Morning coffee and networking

11:10

Taiwan HSR: lessons learnt from one of the world’s largest privately funded public transport systems

• Assessing the funding lessons that can be learnt from Taiwan’s US$18 billion HSR line
• Outlining why the train system selection was controversial and what can be learnt from it
• What challenges were faced during the construction and operational phases, and how were they overcome?

Fa You Lin, Deputy Chief Director of the Transportation Department, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation

11:40

Case study: the role of third party assurance in HSR line construction in Taiwan  

• To what extent did third party assurance improve the delivery of the HSR line by independently assuring the suitability of its design, construction and operation?

Dr. David N Hill, Transportation General Manager, Lloyd’s Register Rail

Case study: Planning, design, and construction of railway underpasses using box-jacking technique

• Technical challenges of launching pre-stressed concrete girders of up to 150ft, weighing over 16 tons
• Adapting the technique for large span and high bridges
• Discussing the environmental advantages of the box-jacking technique

Ankala Saibaba, Chief Engineer, Indian Railways

12:40

Networking Lunch for Speakers and Delegates

14:00

India: evaluating the business case and challenges of building six HSR lines

• Outlining the funding and construction challenges in building six US$9 billion HSR lines and interfacing them with public transportation services in Indian cities
• Evaluating plans to establish a National High-Speed Rail Authority to coordinate planning and construction on the lines
• Assessing whether the priority routes will reach speeds above 250 km/h or 155mph
• Examining if rail passengers will be able to afford to use the proposed HSR lines

Bhupinder Singh Bedi, PPP Expert, Asian Development Bank

Air-Rail Link Innovations

14:40

Air rail links: evaluating project opportunities and best practice innovations

• Update on air rail link projects across Asia
• What progress has there been in integrated ticketing and downtown check-in baggage pick up logistics?
• What best practice lessons can be learnt from Kuala Lumpur’s Express Rail link?

Richard Brown, Director, North Star Consultancy
Noormah Mohd Noor, CEO, Express Rail Link

The PPP Business Case and Rail Financing Strategies

15:20

Comparing and contrasting the benefits and weaknesses of different PPP models for your railway

• Outlining the various types of Public Private Partnership (PPP) models available for railways today
• Analysing the cost and revenue implications of different PPP models
• Evaluating risk allocation, ownership and support issues arising from different PPP models

Bhupinder Singh Bedi, PPP Expert, Asian Development Bank

15:50

Chairman’s concluding remarks and close of conference