Railway transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods. Due to a significant increase in traffic volume and a long-lasting demand for the economic development of regional agglomerations, along with the interest in reduction of travel time and stimulating population mobility, construction of efficient high-speed rail lines is considered as a priority for all countries seeking full participation in the world economy. For Russian and Kazakh governments high-speed rail has become increasingly important.
Therefore, the transport strategies of Russia and Kazakhstan now include the development of a high-speed rail network in excess of 250 km/h. In order to enable such an ambitious project, effective technology and knowledge transfer is necessary. In Russia and Kazakhstan, with their limited experience in this area, specific know-how is strongly required. This evolution towards a modern high-speed transport system means that gaining more expertise in this field is on the agenda.
The aim of the Project Economy, Ecology and Infrastructure at High-Speed Railways (EEIHSR) is to educate competent specialists in the field of railway engineering, especially in the field of high-speed railway (HSR). The results of the given project are
- development of master programme EEIHSR with double degree and
- dissemination of knowledge of the master programme in order to increase the number of specialists in the field of high-speed railway transport
The master programme will be startetd firstly on one university in Russia (PGUPS) and Kazakhstan (ALT). The dissemination of the knowledge will be achieved by composing a book on the topic of EEIHSR, implementing the teaching contents into the curricula of other Russian (USURT, FESTU) and Kazakh universities (SKU, ENU) and setting up the qualification upgrade courses for the companies (in Russia and Kazakhstan). The bilingual dual degree master programme EEIHSR consists of four semesters and is designed to meet the criteria of the Bologna System. It is derived from the experience and knowledge exchange between Russian, Kazakhstan and European universities (TUD, UEK, UPM). The teaching modules and contents will be delivered to the students by balancing theory and practice. This will include sessions in technical laboratories, technical excursions and specialist presentations/colloquia.