Page 10 - Operation Lifesaver Estonia Annual Report 2011

Railway Safety in Estonia - 8 - Annual Report 2011
The year 2011 will be remembered in OLE’s history as
an extremely successful and busy period, especially
regarding our international projects. We have succeeded
in our efforts to find our place among international
organisations dealing with railway safety and we can be
proud of several accomplishments. We realise that we are
a part of the globalising world and information exchange
with the other organisations active in the same field
provides us a unique basis of knowledge. This, on the
other hand, helps us in cooperation with our partners to
use the financial resources allocated by our members to
raise public awareness.
All of that could not have been possible without the
support from OLE’s long-term members AS Eesti Raudtee
and Edelaraudtee Infrastruktuuri AS who, despite to
their complicated economic situation, found it possible
to continue investing in making railways a safer place.
This is why we should particularly recognise the decision
made by the managements of these companies to take
responsibility for making railway traffic safer.
If in 2010 the red arrow marking the number of tragic
railway accidents was going up then the following year
showed some signs of stabilisation. We hope sincerely
that the work of OLE and its partners has played a role
in it.
Last year OLE organised the international
educational railway safety conference
“Let’s Save Lives” that was attended
by 150 delegates from 23 countries.
The presentations made during the
conference reflected the idea that all
of us can learn a lot from each other
and such meetings should take place as
often as possible. We have included all
the contacts made into world-wide mailing lists through
which we exchange daily news and information. OLE is
also planning to use its website as a basis for developing
an intranet, providing a common space for the railway
safety community for exchanging its knowledge and
experience and learn from the others.
Last year our young Project Manager Birgit Vahemets
and myself attended the railway safety presenters’
If I look back at the seven years of OLE’s activities,
I see with the feeling of satisfaction that the small
steps we have taken together with our partners
are taking us closer to our goal – a safer living
environment and the awareness of people about the
dangers present on railways.
TAMO VAHEMETS
Operation Lifesaver Estonia
Chairman of Management Board
LETTER OF CHAIRMAN OF
MANAGEMENT BOARD