Demonstration of the Next Generation Towards Full Digital Freight Train Operations

Organised in the Framework of the InnoTrans 2026, the demo will show the direct comparison between the new developed “DAC Basic Package” and the current screw coupler technology to build up a train in yard operation. The demonstration will be hosted at a dedicated venue located approximately a 30-minute shuttle ride from the InnoTrans exhibition grounds. A free shuttle service will be provided.

More information and registration.

Cross-border agreements: Rail interoperability challenges for rolling stock

Both legal and institutional challenges hinder seamless rail transport between EU Member States, including the traffic in border regions which is in need of facilitation. What is the current state of play, what can national stakeholders do to cooperate beside EU legal requirements and what needs to be done? 

Moderator:

• Giacomo Potenza, ERA

Speakers:

• Peter Behyl, DG MOVE
• Silvia de Rocchi, Director, Captrain Italia (ERFA)
• Marcel de la Haye, Technical Director, CER
• Aleksandra Kania, NSA PL
• Ralf Fleischmann, Alstom

Shaping the future of rail: a collective drive for competitiveness

The panel will focus on how strategic partnerships—such as Europe’s Rail—are pivotal in delivering the next generation of European rail, ensuring it is smarter, more resilient, and fit for the future. As rail stands at the heart of Europe’s sustainable mobility transition, collaboration across public institutions, industry, infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, technology providers and academia will be critical to scaling innovations that enhance interoperability, digitalisation, and operational efficiency at a pan-European level. 

Moderator:

• Giorgio Travaini, EU-Rail

Speakers:

• Eric von Breska, Director, DG MOVE
• Roberto Maiorana, CEO of Trafikverket
• Alan Baroud, CEO of PKP and CER Chair
• Miroslav Haltuf, Europe’s Rail States Representative Group Chair

Military Mobility – What’s moving in Europe?  

This stand presentation will showcase the ongoing work and the direction of EU policy on military mobility and give examples of interest to the industry. 

Moderator:

• Eric von Breska, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director, ERA
• Catharina Dohmeier, Stadler
• Jorge Lopez, NSPA

Demonstration of the Next Generation Towards Full Digital Freight Train Operations

Organised in the Framework of the InnoTrans 2026, the demo will show the direct comparison between the new developed “DAC Basic Package” and the current screw coupler technology to build up a train in yard operation. The demonstration will be hosted at a dedicated venue located approximately a 30-minute shuttle ride from the InnoTrans exhibition grounds. A free shuttle service will be provided.

More information and registration.

Women in Rail Award Winners presentation

The winners of the Women in Rail award will have the opportunity of presenting their projects (their impact and benefits for the sector) and get questions from the public. 

Click here for more information.

Presentation of the Network of Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport

Presentation of the Network of Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport with Ambassador Matthias Rohrmann

Space Meets Rail: Unlocking Satellite Communications for Europe’s Railways 

This session will explore the growing role of satellite communication and space-based services in supporting the digital transformation of the European railway system complementing traditional communication networks by providing more coverage or resilience. 

Moderator:

• Judit Sandor, EU-Rail

Speakers:

• Jeremie Godet, Head of Unit, DG DEFIS
• Joachim Luecking – Head of Interoperability and Safety Unit, DG MOVE
• Christophe Chéron, SNCF – Deputy Director European Research Programmes
• Philippe Laviron, Director for Innovation in signalling Hitachi Rail

High speed rail plan – One year on 

One year after the adoption of the high-speed rail plan, this session will examine the steps taken and actions still planned to better connect Europe by high-speed rail. Infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, including new entrants are among the stakeholders expected to take part in the discussion. Topics discussed will include, among others, the overall competitiveness of the high-speed rail sector, its cross-border dimension but also the challenge of mobilising investment Union-wide to make ambitions concrete.  

Moderator:

• Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director, ERA

Speakers:

• Pedro Marco de la Peña, Chairman, ADIF
• Luigi Corradi, CEO of FS International
• Laurent Fourtune, Founder and CEO, Kevin Speed
• Jakub Bazgier, Director of Czech High-Speed Rail Programme, Správa železnic
• Nicolas Erb , European Affairs Director, Alstom

Global Gateway

Moderator:

• Sergio Oliete Josa, Head of Unit, DG INTPA

Speakers:

• Keir Fitch, Senior adviser, DG MOVE
• Frederick Appoh, CEO, Ghana Rail Development Authority
• Agostinho Langa, CEO, CFM, Mozambique
• Alvaro BERMUDEZ PENA, President, INCOFER Costa Rica
• Khikmatulla RAKHMETOV, First Deputy Chairman, Uzbekistan Railways
• Oana GHERGHINESCU, Executive Director, ERA

Building a large-scale partnership to secure the skills needed for the future of rail

The Single European Railway Area of Skills Alliance (SERAS) project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, is aimed at establishing and expanding a sustainable Rail Skills Alliance for railway skills enhancement, ensuring a resilient, skilled, and mobile workforce across the EU. New stakeholders are invited to join the alliance as associated partners to benefit from opportunities such as networking, access to skills intelligence tools and educational hubs and platforms, visibility and EU cooperation.

Moderator:

• Angela Di Febbraro, UNIGE

Speakers:

• Michael Lehmann, UASFHE
• Eckhard Voss, Wmp
• Matthias Rohrmann, DB
• Antonella Trombetta, Hitachi Rail
• Maria Luisa Martínez Muneta, UPM

Innovation: a must to cut costs & boost global opportunities 

This session will explore how innovation is helping the European railway sector reduce costs, improve performance, and be a springboard for strengthening industrial competitiveness and expanding global market opportunities, including for SMEs. 

Moderator:

• Eric von Breska, Director, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director, ERA
• Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director, EU-Rail
• Stéphane Feray Beaumont, VP, Alstom
• David-Ibán Villalmanzo Resusta, General Manager Strategic Partnerships and Coordination, ADIF
• Carole Desnost, CTO, SNCF
• Jasmin Bigdon, Senior Advisor in Rail and Mobility
• Maciej Gladyga, President, ERF

Autonomous Rail Operation – Autonomous movements at depot (demo)

This demo will showcase EU-Rail innovation through a live demonstration of Europe’s Rail Flagship Project FP2-R2DATO. It will bring to life the future of rail operations by showcasing fully autonomous depot movements controlled remotely from Berlin, with trains operating in Oslo without a driver onboard. It demonstrates how cutting-edge automation, real-time connectivity and intelligent control systems can safely execute complex shunting operations across borders, redefining how rail assets are managed. Beyond the technical achievement, the demo highlights a transformative shift for the industry: increased operational flexibility, reduced dependency on local workforce constraints, improved safety in high-risk environments and a clear pathway towards scalable, autonomous rail systems.

• Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General, DG MOVE
• Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director, EU-Rail JU
• Iosu Ibarbia, CTO, CAF

Towards a Dynamic and Efficient CCS for Europe (demo)

Optimised mix of train capabilities (integrity monitoring and safe train length) and trackside equipment to provide desired line capacity.

The Moving Block Demonstrator validates the adoption of new technologies and concepts, such as the generic safety logic leading to a reduced data preparation effort and enabling track reconfigurability.

The work is highly aligned with System Pillar Architecture and validates the harmonised railway operation concept and system architecture.

Digital Rail Freight: Delivering Seamless European Logistics

This session will explore how digital innovation is transforming rail freight into a more seamless, efficient and customer-oriented transport mode. As supply chains become more interconnected and multimodal, rail freight must offer greater reliability, transparency, flexibility and ease of integration with other transport modes to strengthen its competitiveness and contribute to Europe’s sustainable mobility objectives. 

The discussion will focus on the digital technologies and operational innovations that are enabling seamless rail freight services across Europe such as integrated planning and capacity management, real-time traffic and terminal coordination, digital monitoring and predictive systems, harmonised data exchange and multimodal service integration. These innovations have the potential to improve coordination, predictability and operational efficiency across the entire freight journey, supporting more reliable and customer-oriented services. 

Moderator:

• Estelle Bacconnier, DG Move

Speakers:

• Maria Price, Secretary General, ERFA
• Lars Deiterding; Executive Director, HaCon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
• Yves Sterbak; Director Sales & Business Development & CEO Protostellar, Hitachi Rail Technology Provider
• Fernando Liesa, Secretary General, Alice

Passenger Package: one journey, one ticket, full rights

On 13 May 2026 the Commission presented three legal proposals to make rail travel easier and more attractive. Wider availability of rail tickets across various online platforms and the possibility to combine tickets from different operators into a single journey, with full passenger rights. This package will unlock the full potential of rail.

Moderator:

• Eric VON BRESKA, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Kathrin OBST, DG MOVE
• Kai Tegethoff, MEP
• Olivier Piron, SNCB
• Alexander Ernert, Trainline
• Andre SCHWAEMMLEIN, Flix

Speaker corner: Operational harmonisation of digital signalling: Time for change to keep rolling

The cost and complexity of digitalising European railway systems are too high. To reduce them, implementations must shift from complex, legacy-based approaches to a European system based on ERTMS, and harmonised wider CCS system with common operational rules.  

We will discuss the current situation, the solutions, and the expected impact on the sector. 

Moderator:

• Joachim Luecking, Head of Unit, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director, EU Agency for Railways
• Ian Conlon, Head of System Pillar, Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking

Panel discussion:

• Sverre Kjenne, Director ERTMS User Group
• Gemma Salazar Luque, Hitachi Rail
• Carole Coune, AERRL
• Alberto Mazzola, CER
• Hans Menschaert, EIM (Chair of Technical Steering Group)
• Hartwig Schuster, Unife

Closing remarks:

• Jo de Bosschere

Resilience for a connected Europe: climate-proofing & cybersecurity in rail 

Europe’s rail system is increasingly exposed to climate‑driven disruptions – heatwaves, flooding, landslides – and to a rapidly evolving cyber‑threat landscape targeting digital and energy assets. These are two faces of the same resilience challenge, where physical and digital vulnerabilities reinforce each other and can compromise rail continuity. The sector therefore needs coordinated action, shared standards, and investment in both climate‑proofing and cybersecurity. We will explore how EU institutions, infrastructure managers, operators and financial actors can jointly strengthen the resilience of the Single European Rail Area (SERA).

Moderator:

• Oana Gherghinescu, ERA

Speakers:

• Ian Conlon, EU-Rail
• Eva Valeri, ERA
• Thomas Chatelet, ERA
• Felix Ardiaca Garcia, EIB
• Alain Quinet, EIM / SNCF
• Anna Dąbrowska, NSA PL

What can EU policy do for us? Lived experience and needs of rail workers and PRM passengers

EU rules are often very technical and it is not always obvious how they address peoples’ daily concerns. In this session, we will consider two concrete examples directly relevant to the safety and accessibility of rail: (1) the monitoring of drivers’ working, driving and rest times, and (2) the needs of passengers with reduced mobility or with disabilities. Come and join us to discuss how EU rules can change peoples’ jobs and lives! 

From Safety Data to Safety Action: Building a Shared European Railway Safety Intelligence System

Rail is the safest land transport mode, but confronted with challenging evolutions: automation, workforce demographics, economic pressure.
This requires all actors and Authorities to make best use of the growing amount of data to prioritise the limited resources in the most effective manner.
Link with the upcoming CSM-ASLP regulation, and other initiative to make sense of existing data (e.g. AI for NIB reports…)
Reminder that sharing data does not entail sharing responsibilities, which are clearly defined. 

Demonstration of the Next Generation Towards Full Digital Freight Train Operations

Organised in the Framework of the InnoTrans 2026, the demo will show the direct comparison between the new developed “DAC Basic Package” and the current screw coupler technology to build up a train in yard operation. The demonstration will be hosted at a dedicated venue located approximately a 30-minute shuttle ride from the InnoTrans exhibition grounds. A free shuttle service will be provided.

More information and registration.

Speaker corner: VA Leaning Process at ERA – Return on Experience and Digital Deployment

Moderator:

• Chris Carr

Speakers:

• Stefan Jugelt, ERA
• Enno Wiebe, UNIFE
• Marcel de la Haye, CER

Breaking Language Barriers: The new project Shaping the Next Era of Railway Communication

Step into the future of railway operations at the launch of the EP Pilot Project on Languages—where innovation meets collaboration. This event unites regulators, users, Notified Bodies, and digital pioneers like LLM providers to explore groundbreaking translation solutions that will redefine multilingual communication in the rail sector. Join us to shape the next generation of tools and ensure your voice is part of this transformative journey. 

Moderator:

• Antonio D’Agostino, ERA

Speakers:

• Estelle Bacconnier, DG MOVE
• Alejandro Martinez, Train Driver’s Union (ALE)
• Carmine Zappacosta, ItalCertifer NoBo

Flashforward : Start ups in rail, breaking through technologies 

Panel discussion with representatives of new star ups appearing in the domain of rail, to present their technologies, challenges, good practices how to integrate their ideas into the rail eco-system and lessons learnt. 

Moderator:

• Judit Sandor, EU-Rail JU

Speakers:

• Maximilian Schöffer, Futurail
• Michael Reiter, Railautomation
• Gabriele Semino, Neoways
• Yves Sterbak, Pprotostellar

Youth and Railways in Europe

Details coming soon.

Demonstration of the Next Generation Towards Full Digital Freight Train Operations

Organised in the Framework of the InnoTrans 2026, the demo will show the direct comparison between the new developed “DAC Basic Package” and the current screw coupler technology to build up a train in yard operation. The demonstration will be hosted at a dedicated venue located approximately a 30-minute shuttle ride from the InnoTrans exhibition grounds. A free shuttle service will be provided.

More information and registration.

Behind the Scenes: A Sneak Peek into the New Rail Capacity Regulation’s Rollout 

The adoption of the rail capacity regulation was just the beginning. Now, the sector is full steam ahead, developing the practical rules and structures that will make smarter capacity management a reality. Infrastructure managers, infrastructure users, rail regulators, and the Commission are working hand in hand to set up new governance bodies, align timelines, and turn legislative ambition into on-the-ground solutions. What’s happening now? This session pulls back the curtain on the ongoing collaboration as the sector continues to shape the future of rail. Join us to hear directly from those driving the change and see how the pieces are coming together to keep Europe’s railways moving forward. 

 Capacity Building

Details coming soon.

FRMCS Is Coming: Be aware, be prepared!

FRMCS specifications and their testing should conclude in September 2027. Speakers will discuss the latest status of their development and priorities of pre-deployment activities, based on a sector-wide questionnaire. The discussion will highlight industry’s readiness and migration options to FRMCS compatible ETCS versions. 

Moderator:

• Karel van Gils, EU-Rail JU

Speakers:

• Wawrzyniec Perschke, DG MOVE
• Jo de Bosschere, ERA
• Michael Mikulandru, UNIFE
• Pipsa Hallner, Trafikverket
• Andrea Bricchi, Brian and partners