Leading associations, companies and institutions will contribute their know-how as technical sponsors for the preparation and implementation of the #rail. Thanks to their competencies, the conference fair is set to become a creative idea pool for transport concepts.

The technical sponsors of the #rail2009 are:

The North-Rhine Westphalia Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs is responsible for service, maintenance and further development of all transport routes in Germany’s busiest and most populated federal state. The focus of the integrated transport planning of the Ministry is that all transport sectors and networks become interconnected to create optimal conditions for mobility of the individuals and goods.

Founded in 1994, the Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) with a staff of 230,000, 180000 of which are in Germany, is a top global mobility and freight operating company. The core business of the DB is passenger rail transport in Germany, with approx. five million customers daily and 857,000 tonnes of goods. On its approx. 34,000 kilometres of transport network the DB handles more than 39,000 train rides daily.

The Association of German Transport Undertakings (VDV) is the organization for all German public transport companies (ÖPNV) and rail freight transport companies. The VDV currently has 596 full members and 53 associate members. 489 members work for ÖPNV and 160 in freight transport. The local passenger transport as represented by the VDV covers some 9.53 billion rail rides per year or 26 million trips daily. The freight transport companies within the VDV transported over 343 million tonnes of goods covering more than 105.8 billion tonnes/kilometers per year.

With its 25 transport undertakings, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) is – measured against the population – the largest of its kind in Europe. The annual total of 225.6 million kilometers covered by the network’s buses and trains exceeds the distance travelled by the public transportation systems in the Frankfurt and Munich areas combined. Unique in Germany: The transport networks (VRR) provides a single high-performance network that serves an entire metropolitan region.  With this potential, the VRR is a force to be reckoned within Europe – both despite and because of the impending deregulation of the transportation market.

The Federal Association of local authorities within the SPNV (BAG-SPNV) represents the interest of the local rail passenger transport in Germany. It counts 31 local authority organisations and associations as members. The aim is to improve the quality of local passenger transport and to attract more passengers through optimised operational concepts. As an umbrella association, the BAG-SPNV organises information exchange of its members, develops comprehensive concepts and advises the federal, state and administrative bodies and parliaments with respect to all SPNV questions.

The County Associations of the 13 German territorial states and hence all 301 county districts of the Federal Republic of Germany form part of the German County Association. It represents 74 percent of local German authorities and their political interests on a federal and European level with head offices in Berlin and in Brussels. Seven expert committees are involved in tasks of local political relevance with regard to issues on constitutional law and European law, finance, culture, environment, economy, transport and social as well as health issues.

The German Association of Towns and Municipalities based in Berlin represents in Germany and Europe the interests of towns and municipalities covered by district administration. Its member associations represent over 12,500 towns and municipalities in Germany with more than 47 million inhabitants. It is committed to achieving consideration of local political opinion in federal and European political decision-making processes with active involvement within federal institutions, the economic activity council and finance planning council.

More than 4,400 towns and municipalities with altogether 51 million inhabitants have amalgamated in the German Association of Cities and Towns. The largest central municipal association in Germany with two main offices in Cologne and Berlin actively represents the interests of municipal government self-administration. It represents before the Federal Government, the Bundestag (lower House of German parliament), Bundesrat (upper house of German parliament), European Union and numerous other organisations the interests of all independent towns (i.e. those not covered by district administration) and most of the towns forming part of a district, ensures exchange of information and experiences between its members and develops concepts for political challenges of a municipal nature.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) is an association of railway companies and infrastructure providers from the European Union and its neighbouring countries. The CER which is based in Brussels represents the interests of its approx. 70 members before the European Commission, the European Parliament and other representatives from the field of politics and also other active members of the transport industry. The CER’s main focus of attention is on the claim of the railways to being a sustainable form transport with great potential.

The Allianz pro Schiene e.V. is a pro-rail alliance in Germany in which a total of 16 non-profit organisations have joined forces to promote environmentally-friendly and safe rail transport: the Environmental Associations BUND, NABU, Deutsche Umwelthilfe and NaturFreunde Deutschland, the Consumer Associations Pro Bahn , DBV and VCD, the Car Clubs ACE and ACV, the three Railway Unions TRANSNET, GDBA and GDL as well as the Railway Associations BDEF, BF Bahnen, VBB and VDEI. The member associations represent more than two million individual members. This railway alliance is supported by 75 companies from the rail industry.