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        • Our R&I Programme
          Discover Innovation pillar

          Innovation Pillar

          EU-Rail’s Innovation Pillar (IP) is tasked to deliver operational and technological solutions that contribute to a more efficient, flexible, and demand-led, yet safe and environmentally sustainable European railway system.

          Discover System pillar

          System Pillar

          The System Pillar provides governance, resource, and outputs to support a coherent and coordinated approach to the evolution of the rail system and the development of the system view.

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          About

          Outputs

          Governance

          Key documents

          Discover Deployment Group

          Deployment Group

          The Deployment Group advises the EU-Rail Governing Board on the market uptake of rail innovation developments and support their deployment.

          About Deployment Group

          Deployment Group Participants

          Explore the DAC Delivery Programme

          For a successful and effective implementation of the Digital Automatic Coupler for European rail freight (DAC), it is of crucial importance to have open, close and efficient cooperation between rail stakeholders. The European DAC Delivery Programme enabled by Europe’s Rail, offers a unique European platform for such cooperation and collaboration.

          Discover Shift2Rail

          The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking is the predecessor programme of the Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail), established by Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021.

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          About Shift2Rail

          Shift2Rail R&I Programme

          Shift2Rail Key Documents

          Shift2Rail Members

          Governing Board & Decisions

          Shift2Rail Projects

        • Projects

          Discover detailed information on Europe's rail innovation initiatives, showcasing flagship and other projects aimed at enhancing rail systems across Europe. It highlights collaborative efforts funded by the European Union to develop sustainable, efficient, and competitive rail transport solutions.

           

          Solutions catalogue

          Europe’s Rail Catalogue of Solutions illustrates successful R&I results in the form of possible products and solutions, while highlighting the benefits for final users, operators, infrastructure managers and/or suppliers. This publication also outlines the advantages of integrating demonstrators into market solutions so that they can deliver the rail innovation Capabilities of the future.

        • Who we are?
          About Europe's Rail

          Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) is the European partnership on rail research and innovation established under the Horizon Europe programme (2020-2027) and the universal successor of the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking.

          Explore About Europe's Rail

          Mission and objectives

          Preparatory Activities

          Jobs

          Discover Europe's Rail Members

          Find out the full list of Europe's Rail Members.

          Discover Structure of Governance

          Discover the full structure and governance of Europe's Rail, including the decisions of the Governing Board.

          Explore Structure of Governance

          Governing Board

          General Assembly

          States Representatives Group

          Scientific Steering Group

          Executive Director

          Discover Reference Documents

          Get access to Europe's Rail main reference documents, including Annual Work Plans, Annual Activity Reports, Annual Accounts and other important information.

          Explore Reference Documents

          Key Documents

          Annual Work Plan and Budget

          Annual Activity Report

          Annual Accounts

          Functioning of the Europe's Rail JU

Innovation: the key to maximising rail’s societal and economic impact

Rail can contribute to the growth of a smart, inclusive, competitive, and green society connected via a sustainable and seamless mobility network.

According to research conducted by EU-Rail, the key to maximising this potential is to position rail as an attractive alternative or complementary solution to road and air transport.

The study looked at how rail improvements and changes in mobility could impact rail traffic volume.

Key Findings

  • Efficiently using existing rail networks, intramodal competition, yield management, and online ticketing can increase demand for passenger rail.
  • Passenger rail will likely be impacted by deregulation, the electrification/automation of road transport, and the reduced competitiveness of regional aviation.
  • Track charging policies help drive rail development, providing incentives for reducing capacity constraints, decreasing costs, and enhancing innovation.

Conclusion

  • By inducing a modal shift from road and air to rail, EU-Rail’s innovations will ensure that rail delivers on its societal and economic objectives.

Assessing the impact of innovation

EU-Rail also evaluated the actual performance of its innovations, with a particular focus on measuring their ability for achieving expected results.

Key Findings

  • Innovation is responsible for a 41% decrease in lifecycle costs for freight.
  • It also triggered a 96% and 90% increase in capacity for freight and regional rail respectively.

Conclusion

EU-Rail’s innovations have resulted in significant improvements to rail, especially in the regional and freight segments.

Beyond innovation, EU-Rail also looked at:

Standardisation

Virtual testing

Human-centred design

Objective

Propose ways to transfer research results into standards needed to ensure a fast and easy exploitation of said results.

Motivate stakeholders to, at least partially, reduce physical tests.

Develop a concept for human-centred design that balances the benefits and risks of technological innovation.

Outcome

A global standardisation roadmap and guidelines for standardisation were developed.

Delivered recommendations for using methods for virtual validation and certification for rail components and sub/systems.

Studied the impact of Shift2Rail innovations mainly related to digitisation and automation on both the rail workforce and rail customers.

In summary

Whether it be through studying the impact and performance of innovation, developing a roadmap and guidelines for standardisation and virtual testing, or highlighting workforce trends, EU-Rail has provided a blueprint for maximising rail’s societal and economic potential.

Who benefits

Infrastructure managers

Railway operators

Suppliers

Final users

Europe's Rail