. . . With the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE)
UNIFE Director Philippe Citroën, left, and APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines a framework for cooperation between the two associations on issues related to advancing passenger rail. “APTA is delighted to work closely with UNIFE,” Melaniphy said. “The European and United States rail sectors have much to learn from each other. This Memorandum of Understanding facilitates the sharing of best practices and the robust exchange of information in technical and policy areas.” Photo by Todd Parola

. . .And Members of the European Commission
The MoU was signed during ceremonies at the European Union Embassy in Washington, D.C., hosted by Joao Vale de Almeida, European Union Ambassador to the U.S. Officials at the signing were, from left, Marcel Verslype, executive director, European Railway Agency; Citroën; Melaniphy, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo; and Keir Fitch, deputy head of Cabinet, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). Photo by Todd Parola

 . . . With Visitors from Northern Ireland
Officials from Northern Ireland’s Department for Regional Development (DRD) visited APTA to discuss bike- and pedestrian-friendly initiatives, ways to reduce congestion from cars, and transit-oriented development in U.S. cities. Attending were, from left, APTA Chief of Staff Petra Mollet; Darnell Grisby, APTA director-policy development and research; Tom Reid, director of DRD’s Transport Policy, Strategy, and Legislation Division; Mariela Garcia-Colberg; APTA program manager-international programs; Richard Pengelly, permanent secretary, DRD; Rich Weaver, APTA director-planning, policy, and sustainability; Charlie Denney, senior associate, Alta Planning and Design, an advocacy group; and Jeff Hiott, APTA senior program manager-bus programs. Photo by Mitchell Wood

 . . . And With Visitors from Israel
APTA and public transportation leaders from Israel recently met in Washington, D.C., to discuss how U.S. private and public sectors collaborate on standards development and APTA’s role in standards. Leading the conversation was Melaniphy, far left, and Asaf Elfassi, center right, head of the automotive branch, the Standards Institution of Israel. Other attending Israeli dignitaries were Haggai Back (obscured in photo), mechanical engineer, Technion Institute of Technology’s R&D Foundation, and Avraham Moshe Gonen, chief engineer, Division of Motor Vehicles, Israeli Ministry of Transport. Accompanying the delegation were Alan Wielunski, commercial specialist, U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv, and Naomi L. Wiegner, international trade specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce. Attending for APTA were staff members Jeff Hiott, Mariela Garcia-Colberg, Fran Hooper, staff advisor, and KellyAnne Gallagher, assistant vice president-member programs and services. Photo by Mitchell Wood