Prof. Ziliaskopoulos has 35-year professional career in design and optimization of transport and logistics systems, which began in 1990s as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, continued as Assistant Professor of Transportation in the Civil Engineering Department at the Ohio State University (1994), where performed extensive research with the US and Ohio Dep. Of Transportation, US Railways (Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Gulf and Ohio Railways) and other government and private transport entities. He moved up to Evanston, IL, at Northwestern University as Luis Berger Professor of Transportation Engineering, and continued his work on large scale transport networks and logistics systems. While at NU, he was involved in major initiatives, such as the East-West Landbridge and the Alameda corridor, where his contribution on global logistics and the development of hinterland strategies based on Railways was advanced. As part of this effort, he was involved in redesigning the BNSF terminals network in the Midwest, including the Corwith Intermodal Yard, Chicago IL (BNSF Research Achievement Award, 1997).
Recognition of his work came with the prestigious CAREER Award of the National Science Foundation in 1998 (Presidential Young Investigator) for his work on advances on Stochastic Optimization of Transport Systems and, of course, the tenure and promotion to an Associate Professor position at NU in 2000 that followed. In 2004, he was jointly appointed at the University of Thessaly in Volos (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department) as Transport and Logistics/Production Professor. During the period 2007 to 2010, he was also appointed to a vice-chairman position of the Hellenic Institute of Transport Center for Research and Technology Hellas, where directed research and deployment work on Advanced Transport Systems for various initiatives.
In 2010, he was appointed (as part of an open nationwide selection process–opengov) to the position of Chairman of the BoD and CEO of TRAINOSE, S.A, the National Railway Company in Greece; at the time, the company was almost bankrupt with a debt of 800 million euro and annual deficit of 240 million euro and declining ridership and cargo business. Within the next 3 years, the situation was reversed and by 2013 the company was profitable; in 2014, TRAINOSE managed to pay back 110 million euros in debt to the creditors (recovered from client obligations and government subsidies and return on taxes). In addition, great prospects were developed for the company as the IKONION Terminal at the Port of Piraeus was connected to the National Railway Network by establishing corridors to Central Europe and signing contracts with major multinationals. In effect, in less than 4 years TRAINOSE was transformed from a bankrupt regional railway company to a major link in Global Supply Chains from Asia to Europe.
Simultaneously with his appointment as Chairman of TRAINOSE, S.A., he was appointed as Chairman of the National Council on Logistics by the Ministers of Transport, National Economy and Development. During my almost 6-year tenure in this position, the committee, assisted by the World Bank, developed (1) the National Strategy on Logistics, (2) the Legislation no. 4024/2014 on Logistics, including arrangements for Thriassion to operate as a freight center, (the first Law about Logistics in Greece), and (3) the funding strategy for the Greek Logistics Industry.
In 2016, after leaving TRAINOSE, he returned to the University position but also received a 4 year assignment (intermittently) with the Asia Development Bank as a Senior Advisor on Railway Reform Expert. At the same time, he participated in the Piraeus Europe Asia Railway Logistics company, and organized all the trains from Greece to Central Europe, developed the contracts with all railway undertakings in Southeast Europe, secured more the 600 wagons for the container transport from the Ikonion Terminal.
In 2020 he assumed again the Chairmanship of the Greek Logistics Council and in 2021 he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund till 2024 at which time he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Train (former TRAINOSE), a position he maintains till today. During his tenure at HRAF he was instrumental in privatizing the Public Power Company (DEI), Attica and Egnatia Motorways, and numerous other assets. While at Hellenic Train he facilitated the signing of the new PSO agreement with the Government of Greece and the procurement of the 23 new Corradia Trains.
