The European Railcast

The effects of climate change - from floods to heavy storms and landslides – are already having an impact on rail travel, as on many other sectors of the economy. This, combined with other growing challenges - from cybersecurity threats to the potential impact of geopolitical tensions in an increasingly volatile world - requires coordinated strategies to make European railway systems more resilient.In this eighth episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores how climate change is reshaping the railway sector and how Europe is preparing rail systems to withstand extreme weather & environmental risks. She is joined by Philippe Clement, Head of Innovation Management, CSR, On-Board Experience Unit at SNCF Voyager; Noemi Jimenez Redondo, Chief Technology Officer at CEMOSA; and Ann Kristin Bjerknes, Project Leader Arctic Test Arena, Norwegian Railway DirectorateThey discuss ongoing projects which are addressing the fundamental challenges that need to be met to maintain reliable and secure rail operations in increasingly complex and unpredictable conditions; explain why an integrated approach is vital to make resilience a core pillar of future rail systems; and consider what needs to be done to build on progress to date in tackling these issues.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

The EU’s rail sector is a global leader in developing innovative technologies needed to make rail systems more agile, resilient and competitive. But all too often, as in other sectors of the European economy, those brilliant ideas never quite make it to the tracks – and when they do, it doesn’t happen fast enough. In this seventh episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores what is needed to ensure that groundbreaking innovations are taken up and deployed in the real world at the speed and scale required to realise the enormous benefits they can bring to both rail passengers and freight customers.She is joined by Karel Van Gils, Senior Programme Manager, Europe’s Rail; Davide Pifferi, a member of Europe Rail’s Governing Board responsible for the coordination & Management of Europe’s Rail & European R&I projects at Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane; and Christian Sagmeister, Head of Railway Systems at ÖBB-Infrastruktur Railway Systems & Member of Europe’s Rail’s High-Level Deployment Group. They discuss the challenges that need to be met to overcome the obstacles and accelerate the take-up of innovative solutions; the work being done by Europe Rail’s Deployment Group to address these issues; what more is needed to support implementation of those solutions; and where we go from here.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

Europe’s global leadership in the design, manufacture and maintenance of railways systems and the innovative products and solutions which are transforming the sector has been achieved through a combination of public and private investments, supported by the European Union. In this sixth episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores what is needed to maintain that leadership and build on progress to date in making Europe’s rail system more agile, resilient and competitive; the role of public and private partnerships in this; and the need for continued support at the European level to achieve these goals. She is joined by Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director, EU-Rail; Andrea Gentili, Deputy Head of Unit for Clean Transport Transitions in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research & innovation; and Rolf Hardi, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Deutsche Bahn.They discuss the importance of a coordinated European approach to deliver the system transformation required to realise the rail sector’s full potential to contribute to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability; the need for significant investments in research & innovation and the deployment of innovative solutions; and the key issues that a future public private partnership needs to focus on to deliver on their vision of a rail system that delivers key benefits for passengers and freight customers alike.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by https://rail-research.europa.eu/https://rail-research.europa.eu/, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

More and more people are looking to rail to provide a sustainable and convenient way to travel across Europe, but it is not always easy for passengers to move from one EU country to another or to use a combination of different types of transport to get to their final destination.In this fifth episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores the reasons for this and hears how the rail sector is investing in developing and deploying innovative solutions to address these issues to make passengers’ lives easier and create a truly sustainable and seamless mobility network.She is joined by Delphine Grandsart, Senior Researcher, European Passenger Federation; Micol Biscotto, Head of the Grant Office at Deep Blue and coordinator of the EU-Rail/SESAR 3 JU Travel Wise Project; and Marlene Bamberg, Head of Team Funding at Hacon and Project Manager for the FP1-MOTIONAL Project.They give examples of some of the work being done through EU-funded projects to make rail more accessible, affordable and reliable; discuss how much difference they could make to the passenger experience; and consider how they are contributing to realising rail’s full potential as the backbone of a sustainable European transport system.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

Innovation is key to meet the multiple challenges facing Europe, in the rail industry as in so many other sectors. In this fourth episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores how EU-level research and innovation are contributing to transforming the rail sector and why it is so important to move beyond fragmented national efforts and develop joint solutions that work across borders.She is joined by Gemma Salazar Luque, Vice President Strategy Marketing and Technical Main Line Signalling at Hitachi Rail; Ian Conlon, Head of the System Pillar and Communication Unit at EU-Rail; and Sverre Kjenne, Head of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) users group.They explain why pan-European solutions are so crucial for the rail sector, discuss the challenges that pan-European research and innovation are helping to address, give concrete examples of some of the solutions already on the market and others in the pipeline, and discuss what needs to be done to build on these successes.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking⁠, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

European competitiveness and its struggle to remain a key global economic player are top of the EU’s political agenda.In this third episode of The European Railcast, host Jacki Davis explores the key role played by the rail sector in Europe’s economy and in fostering European competitiveness; hears about the innovations that are helping to deliver the sustainability mobility so crucial for economic growth; and discusses current and future technological and policy challenges to ensure the industry can continue to play that role to the full.She is joined by Pierre Fleury, Chief Technical Officer at Alstom, who explains why the rail sector is so important for European competitiveness and describes some of the (often “invisible”) groundbreaking solutions which are transforming the sector and helping to realise its full potential to boost Europe’s  competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.We also hear from Iosu Ibarbia, technology director at CAF, who shares his perspective on rail’s role in Europe’s economy and what is needed to maintain the sector’s industrial and technological leadership. The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. 

Extreme climate events are no longer distant warnings—they’re a lived reality across Europe, from floods and droughts to heatwaves and wildfires. In this second episode of The European Railcast, host Karen Coleman explores how the EU’s rail system is being transformed to meet the urgent demands of the climate crisis.She’s joined by Henk Samson, Senior Programme Manager for Innovation at Strukton Rail and Coordinator of Innovation Partnerships at EU-Rail, who explains how cutting-edge solutions—from electrification to predictive maintenance—are making rail transport greener, more efficient, and more resilient.We also hear from Tilly Metz, Member of the European Parliament with the Greens/EFA Group, who shares her perspective on the political and legislative shifts needed to unlock rail’s full potential for a climate-neutral future.Whether you’re in the transport sector or simply passionate about sustainability, this episode offers a closer look at how rail is powering the EU Green Deal—from innovation labs to the corridors of power.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is brought to you by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the European partnership for rail research and innovation under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

What would it take to travel across Europe by rail—seamlessly, sustainably, and affordably? In this first episode of The European Railcast, host Karen Coleman is joined by Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director of Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail), to explore the bold vision of creating a Single European Railway Area. From tackling the legacy of fragmented national systems to rolling out standardised digital solutions, Giorgio explains how EU-Rail is helping transform the continent’s rail sector through research, innovation, and collaboration.We also hear from Kristian Schmidt, Director for Land Transport at the European Commission, who offers insights on the EU’s legislative and policy efforts—from ticketing to infrastructure—to support a unified, high-speed, cross-border rail system.Whether you’re in the industry or just passionate about sustainable mobility, this episode dives deep into why rail is key to Europe’s climate ambitions—and what it will take to get there.The European Railcast: A Podcast About the Future of European Mobility is a podcast brought to you by Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, with funding from Horizon Europe.