A presentation by the Transport Thematic Group
Following the presentation by Jorge Rebelo on October 9th on Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Urban Rail Systems, on November 19th we will welcome Mr. Steve Ditmeyer to further talk about the relevance of Intelligent Railway Systems based on his experience in both Europe and the US. In his talk, Mr. Ditmeyer will explain the key differences between European and U.S. systems, describe where and how sensors and sub-systems generate information, and how that information is transmitted to the AI systems. He will discuss how, when properly integrated, Intelligent Railway Systems can enhance not only railway safety but also efficiency, security, and profitability—while improving service to customers. Some of these systems are already in operation, others are developed but not yet implemented, and some remain under development.
Mr. Steve Ditmeyer has devoted his entire career to the railway sector. He holds degrees from MIT (B.S. Industrial Engineering) and Yale University (M.A. in Economics) and served as a U.S. Army Transportation Corps officer, retiring as a Major. His extensive professional experience includes: (a) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA): Associate Administrator for Policy where he was involved in the creation of Amtrak, worked on deregulation of the freight railways, and served as acting general manager of The Alaska Railroad; (b) Burlington Northern Railroad: Director of R&D where he was intimately involved in the development and testing of the first GPS and digital communications-based Positive Train Control system; (c) World Bank: Transport Economist (1974–77) in the then so-called EMENA region, and later, as an consultant, Railway Technology Expert (2020–24), developing Intelligent Railway System plans for railways in the ECA region; and (d) Academia and Consulting: Associate Professor of Economics at National Defense University and Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University’s Railway Management Program and founded his Transportation Technology and Economics consultancy. Mr. Ditmeyer has also lectured at leading business schools in Paris and Lyon, and at the Indian Railways Staff College in Vadodara, and continues to be a respected voice in railway innovation and policy.
Discussant: Vasile Nicolae (“Nicki”) Olievschi is a railway transport expert with more than four decades of experience in the railway sector, including senior leadership roles in government, national railways, and major international institutions. He has led transformative reforms, major investment programs, and strategic modernization initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. His career spans designing and implementing ICT systems for transport, shaping Romania’s railway reform and EU-aligned regulatory framework, directing large-scale infrastructure modernization, and guiding global railway policy as Senior and then Lead Railway Specialist at the World Bank, between 2006 and 2012. Since then, he has served as a Railway Transport Consultant to the World Bank Group, assessing railway performance, supporting concession reforms, modernizing signaling systems, and developing financial and economic models to strengthen railway operations and corridor development worldwide. From 2013 to 2016, as a Railway Expert for the United Arab Emirates’ Federal Transport Authority, he drafted the national Railway Law and established the country’s safety certification regime. Since 2016, he has advised UNESCAP on various railway-related topics (advancing interoperability along Asian rail corridors, digital transformation of railways, integration of the ASEAN railway community). Recently, he began a collaboration on a large railway project in the Philippines (SCMB Project), funded by USTDA.
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