Russian Railways Joined German-Russian Initiative for Digitalization of the Economy

A ceremony for new members of the German-Russian Initiative for Digitalization of the Economy (GRID) took place as part of the Digital Transformation of the Mobility Sector online conference. Its main topic was innovative development and the prospects for digital transformation of the transport industry in Russia. Russian Railways was represented at the conference by Director of Information Technologies Evgeny Charkin.

‘Accession of Russian Railways to the German-Russian initiative for the digitalization of the economy is a logical step towards developing the company’s interaction with its German partners, with whom we are already working together in the logistics sector, in the creation of modern rolling stock and personnel training. We are joining GRID, first and foremost, to get the opportunity to exchange experience in the field of digital transformation,’ said Charkin.

GRID was created during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2017, initiated by the cooperation and partnership agreement between the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Eastern Committee of the German Economy. The main goals of the initiative are to start Russian-German dialogue on applying the best global practices in the field of digitalization and Industry 4.0, accelerate the digital transformation of the Russian economy, and increase the competitive advantages of German and Russian high-tech products through the exchange of experience and the strengthening of practical interactions between enterprises of the two countries.

On the German side, GRID includes Siemens, SAP, Bosch, and Volkswagen; from Russia, it includes Rostelecom, Skolkovo Foundation, Tsifra Group, TMK, Sinara Group, Rostec Corporation, and Kaspersky Lab. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, and the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce are also GRID members.