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UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION

FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (ESCAP)

5th meeting of the Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway Network

13 & 14 June 2017

and

Global Smart Rail Conference 14 & 15 June 2017

Busan, Republic of Korea

INFORMATION NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS

A. General 1. The 5th meeting of the Working Group (WGM) on the Trans-Asian Railway Network is

scheduled to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, on 13 and 14 June 2017 with support of the Korea Railroad Research Institute (https://www.krri.re.kr/html/en/). The tentative programme of the meeting is attached as Annex 1.

2. Participants to the meeting are also invited to attend the Global Smart Rail Conference (GSRC) co-organized by ESCAP and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) of the Republic of Korea on 14 and 15 June 2017.

3. Both events for which a quick reference guide is provided in Annex 2 will take place in conjunction with the 8th Korea Railways and Logistics Fair (Raillog Korea 2017) co-organized by MOLIT, the Busan Metropolitan City Government and the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) from 14 to 17 June 2017. Detailed information on Raillog Korea 2017 is available at http://raillog-korea.kr.messefrankfurt.com/busan/en/visitors/welcome.html.

Meeting venue

4. The WGM and the GSRC will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO) as follows:

- WGM, room no. 201-204 (2nd floor of BEXCO), - GSRC room no. 101-106 (1st floor of BEXCO).

More detailed information on BEXCO is available at: https://www.bexco.co.kr/eng/Main.do.

Registration and meeting badges

5. Participants are requested to register and obtain security badges on the first day of the WGM, i.e. 13 June 2017. This will be done at the registration desk located outside the meeting room between 08:00 hours and 09:00 hours. The badge will be valid for the entire duration of the WGM and the GSRC, i.e. from 13 to 15 June 2017. Only the names of participants duly registered will be included in the list of participants. For identification and security reason, all participants are requested to wear their security badges at all times when on the BEXCO premises.

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B. Travel to and stay in Busan Immigration requirements

6. All visitors to the Republic of Korea must have a valid passport and visa. Visitors with roundtrip tickets from countries which have special agreements with the host country may be exempt from the visa requirement. Such visitors may stay in the Republic of Korea visa-free for periods up to 30 days or 90 days, depending on the type of agreement entered into bilaterally between their governments and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

7. Participants who have to travel via a third country on their way to and back from Busan may also need visas for this third country even though they may be only transiting the airport.

8. Participants are responsible for their visa arrangements. For details of visa requirements, participants are advised to consult the local embassy/diplomatic mission of the Republic of Korea or visit the website http://www.immigration.go.kr/indeximmeng.html. Visas will be issued by the embassies and/or diplomatic missions of the Republic of Korea abroad as expeditiously as possible.

9. Should it be necessary on the visa application form to indicate a contact person and organization in the Republic of Korea, please indicate: Mr. Jae-Hun Seol, Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, 55 APEC-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea, 612-704.

Arrival in / departure from Busan

10. Participants should make their own transportation arrangements between Busan Gimhae International Airport and the Centum hotel where they have been booked to stay (para 13 below). Limousines, taxis and buses are readily available at both international and domestic terminals.

11. Premium taxis (black cars) and regular taxis (other than black) are safe and fast with fares paid upon arrival at destination as shown on the meter.

12. It is recommended that participants take limousine bus No.2 (direction Haeundae) which connects Busan Gimhae International Airport with the Centum Hotel at regular intervals. Depending on traffic conditions, travel time is approximately 45 to 50 minutes. The fare is 7,000 Korean Won (approx. US$ 6) and has to be paid in Korean Won directly to the driver. Related information is summed up in Annex 3.

Places of stay

13. Arrangements have been made for participants to stay at the “Haeundae Centum Hotel” located right opposite BEXCO. The coordinates of the hotel are:

English Korean

20, Centum 3-ro, Haeundae-Gu, Busan, Republic of Korea 612-889 Tel. (82-51) 720 9000; Fax. (82-51) 720 9990

해운대센텀호텔

부산시 해운대구 센텀 3로 20 (우612-889)

전화: 051-720-9000, 팩스:051-720-9990

14. A special rate of KRW 132,000 (approx. US$ 120) per night, including breakfast and taxes, has been negotiated with the hotel for ESCAP meeting participants. To avail themselves of this special rate, participants must imperatively complete the hotel reservation form attached as Annex 4 and return it to the hotel as early as possible and no later than 22 May 2017 by fax + 82.51.720.9990 or e-mail at ecentumhotel@gmail.com.

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15. Participants are responsible for settling their room charges as well other incidental expenses such as internet use, telephone calls, laundry charges and other expenses directly at the reception before checking out.

Daily Subsistence Allowance

16. On the first day of the WGM, participants whose travel is sponsored by ESCAP will receive a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) to cover all expenses associated with their participation in the WGM and the GSRC, including accommodation, meals and local transport while in Busan.

17. Payment of the DSA will be in cash in Korean won and will be paid against submittal to the responsible ESCAP staff of a copy of their passport, copy of the air-ticket and their original boarding pass(es) for the flight(s) to Busan. In order to speed up the payment process, eligible participants are kindly requested to come with ready-made copies of these documents. To date DSA for Busan is US$ 391. Please note that this amount is subject to change without prior notice.

18. ESCAP will pay DSA up to 15 or 16 June depending on the scheduled return flights of participants. Participants who wish to stay longer in Busan in conjunction with the Fair will have to cover all additional expenses by themselves.

19. Participants who are unable to stay for the entire duration of the WGM and the GSRC are requested to inform the ESCAP staff as soon as possible after arrival so that the DSA can be adjusted accordingly.

20. In those cases where the participation costs are borne by ESCAP, the secretariat will provide only travel and DSA as expressed and will not assume responsibility for any other expenditures, including the following:

(i) all expenses in the home country incidental to travel abroad, including expenditure for visa, medical examination, inoculations and other such miscellaneous items and internal travel to and from the airport of arrival and departure in the home country;

(ii) salary and related allowances for the participants during the period of the meetings;

(iii) cost incurred by participants in respect of travel insurance, accident insurance, medical bills or hospitalization fees in connection with attending the meetings;

(iv) compensation in the event of death or disability of participants in connection with attending the meetings;

(v) any loss of or damage to personal property of participants while attending the meetings or losses or damages claimed by third parties as a result of any negligence on the part of the participants;

(vi) any other expenses of a personal nature, not directly related to the purpose of the meetings.

Weather

21. The weather in Busan during June varies between mild and hot with average temperature in the range of 21°C to 24°C.

Smoking

22. All BEXCO premises, including meeting rooms, are smoke-free areas. Most hotels in the Republic of Korea have designated areas for smoking.

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Foreign exchange

23. The basic currency of the Republic of Korea is the Won. Foreign banknotes and travellers’ cheques can be converted into Won at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchange outlets. The exchange rate as of April 2017 is about 1,158 won for one US dollar.

24. Banking hours are usually from 09:30 hours to 16:30 hours on weekdays. Credit cards, such as Visa, American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and JCB, are accepted at major hotels, department stores, restaurants and retail outlets.

Electricity supply

25. The standard electricity supply is 220 volts AC/60 cycles; however, 110-volt sockets are also available at hotels.

Airline reservations

26. Most airlines no longer require that return flights be re-confirmed. However, participants are responsible for checking airline requirements applying to their travel arrangements. However, ESCAP staff servicing the meeting can assist participants who may have to re-confirm their return flights.

C. Conduct of the WGM

27. The WGM will be inaugurated at 09:00 hours on 13 June 2017 by Mr. Pierre Chartier, Chief of Transport Infrastructure Section, Transport Division, ESCAP.

Officers concerned with servicing the meeting

28. The substantive division concerned with the WGM is the Transport Division of ESCAP. The officials of the Division in charge of the WGM are:

Mr. Pierre Chartier, Chief, Transport Infrastructure Section, Tel. + 66-2-288 2465, e-mail. chartierp@un.org,

Mr. Ryan Carvalho, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Tel. + 66-2-288 1570, e-mail. carvalhor@un.org, and

Mr. Jeongsu Park, Expert on Railways, Tel. + 66-2-288 1506, e-mail. park20@un.org.

Questions relating to organizational arrangements, including travel, may be addressed to:

Ms. May Twin Lwin, Tel. + 66-2-288 1723, e-mail. lwinm@un.org.

During the meeting, support staff will be in the meeting room at all times to assist participants with all administrative procedures and provide assistance as required.

Meeting documents

29. Background documents in relation to the WGM as well as this Information Note can be downloaded at:

http://www.unescap.org/events/fifth-meeting-working-group-trans-asian-railway-network

Working language

30. All sessions of the WGM will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation in Chinese and Russian languages. Please note that sessions of the GSRC will be conducted in English only.

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Paper/literature for distribution

31. Participants wishing to circulate any papers or literature at the meeting are requested to consult ESCAP staff servicing the meeting for the necessary arrangements.

Presentations

32. During the WGM, participants will be given the possibility to make a brief statement or presentation. To this effect a computer with Microsoft PowerPoint, a projector and a podium with microphone will be available in the meeting room for use by participants to make their presentations/statements.

33. Participants wishing to make a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint are requested to give the soft copy of the presentation to staff servicing the WGM for upload in the computer at the latest 30 minutes before the beginning of the meeting. For ease of identification during the WGM, the format of the file name should start with the name of the country or name of the organization. Ideally, it is recommended that copy of the presentation/statement be sent to ESCAP as early as possible.

34. For the sake of time management, delegations wishing to speak are kindly requested to limit their interventions to no more than 15 minutes. However, additional information can be circulated to other participants in the form of documents.

D. Participation in the GSRC and the Fair

35. All WGM participants are also invited to take part in the GSCR, i.e. morning of Wednesday 14 June and whole day of Thursday 15 June. The working language of the GSRC will be English.

36. On 14 June, participants will have the opportunity to visit the “RailLog Korea 2017” Fair, including the opening of the Fair and Exhibition tour of the Fair (see Annex 2 for details).

E. Site visits

37. On the afternoon of Thursday 15 June, participants will be taken to the Hyundai-Rotem (rolling-stock) manufacturing plant and the Jinhae port.

F. Miscellaneous 38. The basement of BEXCO houses a number of service facilities, including several catering

outlets, a bank and a souvenir shop.

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Annex 1

Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway Network

Fifth Meeting Busan, Republic of Korea, 13 & 14 June 2017

TENTATIVE PROGRAMME

Day 1

Tuesday, 13 June 2017

08:00 - 09:00 Registration

09:00 - 09:30 1. Opening of the meeting

2. Election of officers

3. Adoption of the agenda

09:30-10:00 Coffee Break

10:00 - 10:30 4. Status of implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian

Railway Network

- Introduction to agenda item 4 by the secretariat

- Discussion and updates from member States

10:30 - 11:30 5. Proposals for amending the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian

Railway Network

- Introduction to agenda item 5 by the secretariat

- Discussion and adoption of the proposals

11:30 - 12:00 6. Policies and issues relating to the development of the Trans-Asian Railway network

- Introduction to agenda item 6 by the secretariat

7. Building the missing links in the Trans-Asian Railway network

- Introduction to agenda item 7 by the secretariat

12:00 - 13:30 Lunch Break

13:30 - 13:50 8. Perspectives and challenges in operationalizing the Trans-Asian Railway network

- Introduction to agenda item 8 by the secretariat

13:50 - 15:00 Interventions by member States

Updates by member States on policies and projects being implemented or

considered to develop the Trans-Asian Railway network in their countries

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break

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15:30 - 17:00 Interventions by member States (cont’d)

17:00 - 17:30 Interventions by international organizations

17:30 - 18:00 9. Other matters

Day 2

Wednesday, 14 June 2017

15:00 - 17:00 10. Adoption of the report and closing of meeting

15:00 - 15:30 : Closing interventions

15:30 - 16:00 : Draft report is distributed to participants for review.

16:00 - 17:00 : Meeting reconvenes for adoption of report.

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Annex 2

Tentative timetable for the fifth Meeting of Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway and the MOLIT Conference (Busan, Republic of Korea, 13--15 June 2017)

Fifth Meeting of the Working Group on the TAR Global Smart Rail Conference &

RailLog Korea 2017 Global Smart Rail Conference

Time Tuesday 13 June 2017 Time Wednesday 14 June 2017 Time Thursday 15 June 2017

8:00 - 9:00 Registration 9:30 - 10:30 Global Smart Rail Conference (GSRC)

Opening session

9:10 - 10:45 GSRC (cont’d)

(Session) Smart Rail Operation and Maintenance

9:00 - 9:30 1. Opening of the meeting

2. Election of officers

3. Adoption of the agenda

9:30 - 10:00 Coffee Break

10:00 - 10:30 4. Status of implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network

10:45 - 11:05 Coffee Break

11:05 - 12:40 (Session) Future of High Speed Rail

10:30 - 11:30 5. Proposals for amendments to the Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network

11:00 - 12:00 RailLog Korea 2017

Opening ceremony

11:30 - 12:00 6. Policies and issues relating to the development of the Trans-Asian Railway network

7. Building the missing links in the Trans-Asian Railway network

12:00 - 13:30 Luncheon 12:00 - 13:20 Luncheon 12:40 - 14:00 Networking Luncheon

13:30 - 13:50 8. Perspectives and challenges in operationalizing the Trans-Asian Railway network

13:30 - 15:00 Exhibition tour of RailLog 2017

(For only participants of TAR

14:00 - 18:00 Technical Visit

- Hyundai-Rotem Company (Changwon manufacturing plant)

- Jinhae port

13:50 - 15:00 Intervention by member States Fifth Meeting of the Working Group on TAR

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break 15:00 - 17:00 10. Adoption of the report and closing

15:30 - 17:00 Intervention by member States (cont’d)

17:00 - 17:30 Intervention by international organizations

17:30 - 18:00 9. Other matters

18:30 - 20:30 Welcome dinner 19:00 - 20:30 Dinner

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Annex 3

Public transportation between Gimhae Int’l Airport and the Hotel

1. Limousine bus (Haeundae)

a) Haeundae limousine bus (service interval: every 30 min, estimated time: about 45 min). Bus

fare is 7,000 won (US$ 6)

Route name Boarding location Main route

Haeundae Limousine

Domestic/International Terminal 1st Floor Bus Stop 2

International Terminal - Domestic Terminal - Namcheondong - Gwangan Station - Centum Hotel – Bexco

2. Taxi (40-50 min depending on traffic)

a) Regular Taxis (other than black) – 20,000-30,000 won (US$ 17 to US$ 25)

b) Premium Taxis (Black Vehicles) – 50,000-70,000 won (US$ 42 to US$ 60)

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Annex 4

Reservation Form

Meeting of Working Group on Trans-Asian Railway

1. PERSONAL INFORMATION

GUEST NAME RESERVATION NO.

COUNTRY ORGANIZATION

CHECK IN (mm/dd/yy)

CHECK OUT

(mm/dd/yy)

TELEPHONE FAX

E-MAIL REMARK

2. ROOM REQUEST

Preference SPECIAL RATE

(Including breakfast) ROOM QTY.

Double Room (Double bed 1EA, daily 1 breakfast included)

132,000 KWN (approx. US$ 120)

Twin Room (Single bed 2EA, daily 2 breakfast included)

154,000 KWN (approx. US$ 140)

► This is the special rate for Meeting of Working Group on Trans-Asian Railway attendees

► The price above is inclusive of breakfast and 10% tax.

► Wired Internet charge : KRW 16,500 per 1 day (inclusive of 10% Tax)- Wifi is free.

3. CREDIT INFORMATION

CREDIT CARD

□VISA □MASTER □AMEX

CREDIT CARD NUMBER:

EXPIRE DATE(mm/yy) : / OWNER NAME:

Signature

It is for guarantee for a reservation not a payment.

The room charge will be charged when you are check out.

► Credit card guarantee is needed when booking.

► Special event rates can be booked only using this form until 22.5.2017.

► Room cancellation should be 7 days before check- in date and late cancellation or No Show is being

charged as below.

- Cancellation from 6 to 1 day before check- in date should be charged for one night room rate.

- Cancellation on check- in date or No- Show or Early check- out should be charged for total night room rate.

► Please complete this form with all requested information and send it to the hotel directly by e-mail at

ecentumhotel@gmail.com.

► If you have any questions, please contact the information: Reservation Dept: + 82-51-720-9000

20, Centum 3-ro, Haeundae-Gu, Busan, Korea 612-889 Tel. +82 51 720 9000 Fax. +82 51 720 9990 http://www.ecentumhotel.com