Table of Contents
The 12th edition UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail (WCHSR), is organised by China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited (CARS), on behalf of China State Railway Group, Co., Ltd. (CR), and the International Union of Railways (UIC), in collaboration with all parties involved in High-Speed Rail in the world.
The congress will be held from 8 to 11 July 2025, at Beijing, China.
The theme of the congress is “High-Speed Rail: Innovation and Development for a better life”.
During this congress, Parallel Sessions covering the main subjects relating to High-Speed Rail (HSR) are planned on 8 July 2025 and on 10 July 2025. The Scientific Committee of the Congress will set the programme of those Parallel Sessions and select the speakers and papers.
Instructions for responding
- Access the Call for Papers:
To begin, visit the UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail Call for Papers page by clicking on the following link: https://uichighspeed.org/call-for-papers/
- Read the guidelines:
Before you proceed, please carefully read these guidelines, also provided on the Call for Papers page (see below). These guidelines are essential for understanding the specific requirements for your submission.
- Prepare your documents:
Ensure that you have all the necessary documents ready for submission. These include your abstract, short biography, and a photo (ID format). Note that your abstract should be in English.
- Create an account or log in:
Create an account on our website using the “Create an Account” option provided on the Call for Papers page. If you already have an account, log in using your credentials. Please note that creating an account is necessary to proceed to paper submission.
- Complete the submission form:
A place in the form will be dedicated to your abstract. Feel free to write there your text with 2000 characters maximum. For each abstract, the Applicant Speaker must select a specific topic within a three-level hierarchy: ‘General Topic,’ ‘Main Sub-topic,’ and ‘Detailed Sub-topic.’ These choices help organize the abstracts into relevant sessions. Additionally, the Applicant Speaker should provide one or two keywords. This detailed information ensures a clear understanding of the subject and aids in the selection process.
Programme of Parallel Sessions
The Parallel Sessions will be held in 6 different rooms respectively through 5 successive time slots:
- Slot 1: Tuesday 8 July from 2:00 to 3:45 pm
- Slot 2: Tuesday 8 July from 4:15 to 6:00 pm
- Slot 3: Thursday 10 July from 8:30 to 10:15 am
- Slot 4: Thursday 10 July from 10:45 to 12:30 pm
- Slot 5: Thursday 10 July from 13:45 to 15:30 pm
Programme of Parallel Sessions
| R/S | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| Slot 1 | Session 1.1 | Session 2.1 | Session 3.1 | Session 4.1 | Session 5.1 | Session 6.1 |
| Slot 2 | Session 1.2 | Session 2.2 | Session 3.2 | Session 4.2 | Session 5.2 | Session 6.2 |
| Slot 3 | Session 1.3 | Session 2.3 | Session 3.3 | Session 4.3 | Session 5.3 | Session 6.3 |
| Slot 4 | Session 1.4 | Session 2.4 | Session 3.4 | Session 4.4 | Session 5.4 | Session 6.4 |
| Slot 5 | Session 1.5 | Session 2.5 | Session 3.5 | Session 4.5 | Session 5.5 | Session 6.5 |
This programme can be adapted or modified according to the number of abstracts received.
Rules for Applicant Speakers
Applicant Speakers (Applicants) are invited to make one or several Proposals (“Abstracts”).
Each Abstract should be submitted by one person only: papers with two or more Applicants are not accepted. However, the Abstracts may mention their co-authors and other contributors in their core text.
If selected, the Applicant will be the Speaker in charge of delivering the presentation in person during the congress.
For each submitted abstract, the Applicant will indicate:
- The General topic
- The Main sub-topic
- The Detailed sub-topic
- One or two keywords of their own choice
This information will help to shape the programme of the Parallel Sessions by sorting the Abstracts per topic and by creating homogenous sessions.
A list of General topics and sub-topics is suggested in appendix 1. Applicants should preferably use them.
Example: Mr X submits an Abstract about capacity of rolling stock. Considering its content, the following keywords are selected:
- General topic: Rolling Stock
- Main sub-topic: Conception and design
- Detailed sub-topic: Functional and technical specifications
- Key word 1: Train architecture
- Key word 2: Seat capacity
If no general topic and or sub-topic is adequately descriptive, the Applicant can use the “any other topic” option by indicating an additional topic and or sub-topic.
By providing the Scientific Committee with a Proposal, Applicants commit themselves to deliver a Presentation at the Congress venue in accordance with the Congress programme.
If after selection on the basis of their Proposal, the Applicant’s Presentation is not consistent with their Proposal or not compliant with the rules and guidance, the Scientific Committee will be entitled to ask the Applicant to make changes, or in extremis, decline the Proposal.
Should the Applicant not be available to present to the Congress, he/she must immediately advise the Scientific Committee and nominate a suitably qualified alternative for approval. The Scientific Committee reserves the right to decline the proposed alternatives and cancel the Presentation.
The Scientific Committee may reject any Abstract which does not comply with the rules and the schedule of this Call for Papers without having to justify the decision, and, in such a case, no claim would be considered.
The decisions of the Scientific Committee are final.
Preparation schedule
The present Call for Papers is launched on begining October 2024.
Proposals (Abstracts + Short biographies + Photos) must be submitted no later than Sunday 15 December 2024.
All applications, regardless of origin, sent in after the deadline or not complying with the guidelines and the deadline may be declined by the Scientific Committee.
Mandatory guidelines for applications
Applications shall be submitted on https://uichighspeed.org/call-for-papers, by completing and submitting the form including all the data required (an abstract, a short biography and a photo). All fields of the form are mandatory (as indicated).
The Abstracts will be in English only.
Selection of Speakers
The Scientific Committee will select the Proposals taking into account:
- Comprehension of the subject addressed by the Applicant
- Compliance of the subject with the Congress programme and moto
- Main interest, novelty and/or originality of the paper content
- Fair geographical representation at the Congress with participation from a wide range of entities
The Scientific Committee will inform each Applicant of its decision by 28 February 2025 by e-mail at the latest, stating whether he/she has been selected, not selected or put on a waiting list. In the case of the first and last responses, details of the Parallel Session to which they may participate will be given. At the same time, instructions will be sent about the required format for the Presentation.
Presentations must be in English and produced in PowerPoint format. Each presentation is limited to 15 minutes and 12 slides including title slide and the final slide.
Slides should highlight key facts, dates and graphics illustrating the paper and avoid repeating long texts.
Delivery of presentations
Final version of presentations of the selected Speakers must be handed in by Friday 16 May 2025. No new presentations and no modifications to Presentations will be admitted after this date. All Presentations must be sent by e-mail to an address which will be advised in the acceptance e-mails.
Non-compliance with this rule and/or the Presentation format may lead to the disqualification of the Speaker and his/her replacement by a Speaker from the waiting list. In addition, each selected Speaker may be asked to accept changes requested by the Session Chair so as to ensure consistency between sessions and avoid repetition.
Congress fees
The selection as a Speaker allows admission to the Congress without paying Congress fees (only one gratuity in case of a speaker selected for more than one paper).
Travel reservation and accommodation expenses will remain in any case, at the charge of Speakers.