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EU-Rail May 2026 Newsletter
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Challenge
Regional railway lines, often located in remote areas, remain reliant on traditional infrastructure with limited adaptability and high operational constraints. Assets such as level crossings are typically energy-intensive, oversized, and lack connectivity for efficient control and maintenance. This limits opportunities to deploy modern, sustainable, and digitally enabled solutions in these environments.
The solution
This solution develop and trail Regional Lines. Being their topology and location, normally quite far from cities and crossing remote areas, they are the perfect testing ground to firstly, demonstrate their benefits and secondly, to install them.
Through this solution, a traditional asset – for example a Level Crossing – is to be equipped with technology (Software and Hardware) that:
- reduces its size.
- provides a mechanism to commute from grid energy source to renewable energy sources, gets the best combination between them or even allow to operate the asset only with green energy.
- provides the capability to be connected to wireless networks, for both, control and maintenance functions.
Readiness for Industrialisation and Deployment
The solution is currently a prototype, that will be tested under laboratory conditions as part of the finalisation tasks for the Europe’s Rail (EU-Rail)1st wave; the planned roadmap includes the evolution of the asset’s components (Software and Hardware) and allow their integration in a large-scale demonstration on site, during the EU-Rail’s 2nd wave.
ENYSE aims to use the developed Hardware and Software platform, as the basis for its new generation of Smart Wayside Object Controllers (SWOC) including all the new capabilities that this solution provides. The industrialisation process should be starting at some point during the ER JU 2nd wave.
Maturity level
From TRL 4 (Technology validated in lab ) to 6 (Technology demonstrated in relevant environment )
Expected benefits
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The main benefit is targeted to be the reduction of installation costs and time, and as consequence the reduction of maintenance costs and time as well; during the whole life time period of the asset, the reduction and best use of energy consumption is seem as the most relevant benefit.
Who benefits
Infrastructure Managers
Railway operators
Conclusion
This solution will enable Infrastructure Managers to benefit in the shape of Capital and Operational Expenditures reduction. I.e. less cabling and easy and remote control and maintenance, as well as less and more efficient energy consumption.
Learn more about the project
FP6-FutuRe
This solution has been developed within the Europe’s Rail (EU-Rail) Flagship Project FP6-FutuRe. The project aims to ensure the long-term viability of the regional railway by reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO), while ensuring high service quality and operational reliability. It aims to increase customer satisfaction and to make rail an attractive and preferred mode of transport.