Ben van den Horn
ITA COSUF: Solutions for safer Public Transport. Centre of Excellence offers worldwide network for safety and security of Public Transport Underground Facilities
Lausanne (CH), 5 September 2016.- "Since the first activities of the Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities, safety and security of public transportation systems are counted among the core tasks", explains Ben van den Horn, Secretary General. "We organize regular meetings and events which are platforms for professionals from all over the world to discuss the latest developments and to network with our colleagues."
It is well established that the topics of each ITA COSUF organized event are the first choice of the newest developments. High-professional speakers present case studies and report on projects which are perfectly completed with job site visits or presentations on the spot. The latest successful meeting was the Tunnel Safety Officers Forum held in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) in March 2016 with more than 50 highly qualified participants.
Focus on Public Transport
The next Workshop takes place in Helsinki (Finland) from 25th to 26th October 2016 with Activity Group Meetings, General Assembly and the Ceremony of handing over the ITA COSUF Award 2016. This event – dedicated to Operating Road and Rail Tunnels in Helsinki – is a great chance for all professionals to meet and discuss. As this workshop is for members only, it is recommended to join ITA COSUF. Nevertheless, guests interested in a COSUF membership are cordially welcome.
Another workshop held in Amsterdam already in 2011 was dedicated to special topics of underground public transport. Presentations and discussions about the integrated safety aspects of nodal points with existing and new metro lines, the extension of a station, a new road tunnel and a bus platform were very interesting and gave new insights.
With these regular events the underground public transport community may find an excellent opportunity to network and exchange knowledge on safety and security aspects. ITA COSUF organizes every year in minimum two meetings or workshops. During those workshops several presentations on safety aspects of metro systems and rail tunnel safety are given. The presentations as well as some overall information are available for download from www.ita-cosuf.org
Unique Platform for the public transport community
Activities like mentioned before show that ITA COSUF plays an important role in the public transportation community as it covers all underground facilities and is not focusing on a particular type: it can deal with overlaps and differences (cross-fertilization) and draw general views. "ITA COSUF is a very unique platform for communication on operational safety and security in underground facilities. We are the first choice network to help the public transport sector to meet all players in the field, exchange their views and share their experience", explains Chairman Dr. Roland Leucker.
There are many relevant bodies for interest groups, for instance PIARC which is dedicated to public bodies for roads, UIC which is dedicated to long-distance railway organisations, UITP which is dedicated to public transport authorities and operators, while ITA COSUF is open to all kind of members (authorities, consultants, research, industry, contractors, safety officers, etc.) and all kinds of underground transport. ITA COSUF can gather a variety of views and is exceptional at the same time because its different set-up regarding scope, membership and focus.
Centre of Excellence
ITA COSUF is the first committee of the ITA, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, founded in 2005. It is the Centre of Excellence consisting of approx. 80 corporate member organisations and companies from 25 countries all over the world. The World Road Association PIARC is also supporting ITA COSUF. Since the very first beginning COSUF is a platform for communication on operational safety and security in underground facilities. Only the best specialists in the field of tunnelling are discussing in four different activity groups about the latest developments.
Further information about ITA COSUF and membership you may find on
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