System Pillar

Under this role, 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, based on a formal functional system architecture approach to speed innovation and deployment. The System Pillar brings rail sector representatives under a single coordination body.  To achieve this, the System Pillar will deliver a unified operational concept and a functional, safe and secure system architecture, with due consideration of cyber-security aspects, focused on the European railway network to which Directive 2016/797 applies (i.e. the heavy rail network) as well as associated specifications and/or standards.

Whilst most individual railway systems have views of the future railway architecture, there is no common EU railway system view that is used today.  The railways have traditionally approached systems architecture following a national – even regional –technical approach, leading to a heterogeneous picture at European level. National markets for rail infrastructure and vehicles continue to exist in a way that has been overcome in other modes of transport or sectors. The problem with this is that innovations and changes to the system are very difficult and costly to achieve. Ultimately this undermines the performance and competitiveness of rail transportation.  The purpose of the System Pillar is to improve the European railway system to offer better services for European passengers and freight and to make rail traffic more efficient and less costly. It shall ensure that the evolution of the rail system is based on common operational visions and a layered functional architecture, facilitating the uptake of harmonised, innovative solutions by the sector. The strategic target is the Single European Railway Area (SERA).

The necessary technical specifications are collected in the System Pillar and revised with the sector to feed into the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) and the European standardisation process.

The System Pillar is managed and led by the System Pillar Unit of EU-Rail, under the responsibility of the Executive Director, within the governance established by the Single Basic Act (Council Regulation (EU) No 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021).