We are pleased to announce that the Fedecrail autumn meeting will take place in the beautiful town of Saint-Quentin from November 1st to 3rd. Saint-Quentin, located in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, is renowned for its rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant cultural scene. The town offers a unique blend of historical charm and modern amenities, making it the perfect setting for our gathering.
The meeting will bring together railway & tramway professionals from across Europe to discuss the latest developments in the preservation of our branch and to share knowledge and experiences. Our program will include a series of presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration and innovation within the heritage rail community.
We are excited to host our members in such a picturesque and historically significant location. Saint-Quentin is not only known for its Art Deco buildings and the impressive Basilica of Saint-Quentin but also for its warm hospitality. Art Deco is an influential visual art style that began in the 1920s and flourished during the 1930s and 1940s. Saint-Quentin, a city in northern France, is known for its extensive collection of Art Deco architecture. We believe this setting will provide an inspiring backdrop for our discussions and activities.
We look forward to welcoming you to Saint-Quentin and to another successful and productive autumn meeting.
Pricing will be around €260 to participate for friday-saturday, there will be an additional cost for those who want to join sundays excursion (price will come soon). This is still being calculated and soon updated.
Agenda
We are still working on our detailed program, which will be uploaded here soon, including pricing information.
If you arrive at thursday there is possiblity to make a visit to Musée des métiers d’antan 17;00 with a guided english tour guide for a smaller cost.
Friday, November 1st
- 11:00 AM: Welcome and Check-in
- Participants arrive and check in.
- Lunch and Meet & Greet
- Lunch will be served during the meet and greet session mfrom 11:00. Welcome speech from the Mayor of Saint-Quentin and other offcials.
- 13:00 until 15:00 Workgroup meeting
- 15:30 Event at Chemin De Fer Touristique Du Vermandois (VISIT OF THE SHED 60 MIN+ 90 MIN RIDE – LOCAL CRAFT BEERS + CHEESE TASTING)
- 19:30 Dinner at the restaurant L´Univers
Saturday, November 2nd
- Morning
- 09:00 – 11:30 opening speech and General meeting
- 12-14 Lunch and visit to signal box
- 14:30 – 16:00 Executive meeting
- 16:00 – 18:30 Various workshops, speakers etc.
- Evening
- 20:00 Dinner at restaurant L´Edito
Sunday, November 3rd
- Morning
- Possible « open doors visit » to a neighbour railway in Denain (city with tramway) not included in the price.
We look forward to seeing you in Saint-Quentin!
Practical information
Venue
The meetings will be hold at the Casino, everything is in walking distance around 5-10 minutes.
How to reach Saint Quentin
By train
From Paris Gare du Nord (connection with Paris airports and Eurostar) = 8 daily trains (80 to 100
mins)
From Lille (connection with Eurostar and Thalys) = 6 daily trains (100 mins)
By car
Saint-Quentin is at A26 (linking Calais to Reims and south of France) and A29 junction, connecting to
Paris and Lille (via A1) and to Belgium (via A2)
To be considered :
1) « Le Picardy » hotel and working rooms are 5 mins by feet far from Saint-Quentin railway
station
2) Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is the best located Airport to reach Saint-Quentin (even if Lille
airport or Charleroi airport could be alternative choices)
Hotels
There is a lot of different hotels in Saint Quentin, we will update with suggestions for bookable hotels.
Your booking can be choosen from both price and location:
Le Picardy (primary hotel), exclusive FEDECRAIL fare if booking with Saint-Quentin’s Tourism Board +33 3 23 67 05 00 before 15/09/2024
Ibis Saint Quentin Basilique, (secondary hotel), exclusive FEDECRAIL fare if booking with Saint-Quentin’s Tourism Board +33 3 23 67 05 00 before 15/09/2024
Ibis Budget we have no prebooked rooms at this hotel
Translation through the meetings
We’ll use Wordly as our translation tool at the conference. This allows more participants to follow the dialogue via their own smartphones, tablets, or computers. We’ll also expand the number of languages available from 3 to nearly 50+, enabling greater participation.
AI Translation, also called machine translation, uses artificial intelligence to automatically translate text from one language to another. It analyzes large amounts of text data to learn relationships between words and phrases, then translates new text in real-time. This has the potential to revolutionize communication across language barriers, offering benefits like lower cost and easier access. However, participants need their own equipment with headphones and an internet connection for it to work.
Who should take part in this Conference? – Our core participants are voting delegates for Fedecrail member organisations, our team of Council Members and support officers and our existing ‘Friends of Fedecrail’. Partners are also very welcome to join us for the parallel Partners Programme and the general programme of visits following the business sessions. We warmly welcome participation by anyone who has an active role in the management
and/or running of heritage railways and tramways, rail museums and rail and tram heritage organisations. The business programme is targeted at addressing subjects of interest to those playing such active roles. Conference fees for individual participants will need a ‘Friends of Fedecrail’ annual membership subscription at €25 euro per person.
Programme subject to change without notice
