remains an inexhaustible source of study. And, as its Founding Charter notes, given that all of us who are united by the railroad in any of its many forms are aware of the significant challenges involved in preserving its “historical memory”—its documentary and industrial heritage—and promoting various lines of research, achieving this goal is a priority for the Association.

ASIHF maintains a special partnership with the organization, both because they share the same goals and because many of their members belong to both groups.

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The International Association for Railway History (IRHA) was founded in 2002 at the Paris headquarters of the International Union of Railways (UIC) by a dozen European researchers from various disciplines—history, economics, geography, archives, etc.—with the aim of promoting historical knowledge of railways. Currently, the association has members from 18 countries and has expanded beyond the borders of Europe, where it was founded, as it aims to encompass all continents.

For the IRHA, there is no doubt that, over the past two centuries, the railroad has been one of the main drivers of progress toward modernity.
This means that its contribution to shaping the world we know today is an inexhaustible source of study. And, as stated in its Charter, since all those united by the railway, in any of its many aspects, are aware of the great difficulties in preserving its “historical memory”—documentary and industrial heritage—and in promoting different lines of research, achieving this objective is a priority for the Association.

ASIHF has a special twinning relationship with it because they share the same goals, and because many of their members belong to both organizations.