Israel Railways Hosts International Innovation Conference

Israel Railways and the Innovation Without Borders (IWB) initiative hosted an international conference yesterday. The event was attended by dozens of diplomats, international economic attachés, and representatives in the fields of trade, economy, innovation, and science.

The conference, held at the Israel Railways headquarters in Lod, was led by the CEO of Israel Railways, Shiko Zana. Representatives of Israel Railways presented their work in the field of railway innovation. In addition, diplomats and representatives from selected countries showcased their respective markets, with a focus on transportation and transportation innovation. The guests also had the opportunity to drive a train using Israel Railways' innovative simulator.

As a leading government company, and in accordance with a government decision from 2018, Israel Railways is working to promote innovation in its various fields of activity, as well as to assist the Israeli technology sector. This is in order to maintain Israel's global leadership in the field and preserve Israel's status as a StartUp nation. In recent years, Israel Railways has been leading innovation processes that will continue to serve as a growth engine for promoting smart public transportation, entrepreneurship, and business development.

Today, Israel Railways is promoting dozens of projects in the POC (Proof of Concept) process, which the railway integrates into all its areas of activity. These range from advanced accessibility systems to improve service for passengers with disabilities, through advanced and innovative cyber systems specializing in the railway field, to AI-based systems for managing and maintaining railway infrastructure, in complexes, carriages, and stations, with the aim of integrating the products and technologies to improve and streamline the railway's operations.

In addition to investing resources in innovation and projects, the railway serves as a beta site for many projects that benefit from the high traffic in railway stations, the wide range of activities, the extensive infrastructure, and aspects of service, accessibility, information security, business, and more.

The IWB - Innovation Without Borders initiative is a unique platform founded in 2017 that brings together more than 70 countries. The forum serves as a leading local partner for international representatives in the fields of economy, trade, innovation, business, and science in embassies in Israel. Its goal is to connect the diplomatic community to Israel's innovative ecosystem and create opportunities for strategic collaborations.

Moshe Shimon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Israel Railways, said: 'We are proud to connect Israel Railways and the Israeli startup nation to the diplomatic community and to showcase the great innovation invested today in Israel Railways, which stands alongside the leading countries in the world. We at Israel Railways will continue to support the Israeli innovation and technology sector and assist in promoting Israel's status on the global stage.'

Shiko Zana, CEO of Israel Railways, said: 'We were pleased to host dozens of diplomats and international representatives from around the world at Israel Railways. Together with our partners from Israel and the world, we are leading processes and projects today that will not only close gaps in relation to the world but will also continue the leap forward and position the railway at the forefront of global railway technologies. Through innovation and the integration of artificial intelligence-based technologies, we will continue to improve passenger service and streamline railway work.'

Liron Atias, CEO of Innovation Without Borders, said: 'The collaboration between the diplomatic community in Israel and Israel Railways is an excellent example of how innovation can serve as a bridge for global collaborations. Israel is a technological powerhouse, and Israel Railways plays a key role in adopting and integrating advanced technologies in the field of smart transportation. Today's meeting created an extraordinary opportunity for connecting countries, sectors, and technologies, and we at IWB will continue to work to strengthen these collaborations, which will contribute both to the development of public transportation and to positioning Israel as a center for global transportation innovation.'