An agenda with all current topics

THE CONFERENCE COVERS A WIDE VARIETY OF TOPICS TO LEARN ABOUT THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF A THRIVING SECTOR WITH LARGE PROJECTS UNDER WAY.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

One more year, sustainability is one of the key themes that part of the debates of the Rail Live! conference focuses on. The important role of the railway on decarbonisation of transport and the reduction of emissions will be analysed during these days by international experts.

This year special attention will be paid to all aspects related to the implementation of the hydrogen train and other alternative fuels, the different strategies of operators and administrations to advance in the fight against climate change, electrification, and modernisation of networks to gain in energy efficiency, new components, etc.

METRO AND LIGHT RAIL

The implementation of new metro and light rail networks, as well as the modernisation and expansion of many of the existing ones, continues to advance around the world.

Aware of the growth of this type of systems, as well as their role in urban mobility, the Rail Live! participants will discuss numerous aspects in this regard such as the new solutions that are introduced in the market to improve services, the implementation of new technologies, the innovations in rolling stock to provide more accessible, efficient and safe trains, the main projects in the world, etc.

This edition will feature numerous examples of cities and metropolitan areas such as Almaty (Russia), Graz (Austria), London (United Kingdom), Uppsala (Sweden), Tel Aviv (Israel) or Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Tenerife, and Zaragoza in Spain, as well as cases of implementation of tram-train systems such as the Cádiz Bay one.

SMART STATIONS

The design of a connected, digital and intermodal transport model has driven the development of a new concept of smart stations, where the weight of technology allows to provide a better passenger service and advance in aspects of security, real-time information, control centres, ticketing, etc.

Among other aspects, special attention will be paid to how the implementation of new disruptive technologies is carried out, as well as the benefits and challenges it poses to create an integrated and passenger-based environment. All these aspects will be analysed at the Rail Live! conferences.

SMART INFRASTRUCTURES

New technologies, developments in materials and industry solutions make it possible to talk about smart infrastructures. The role of all these developments will be detailed in a wide range of presentations within Rail Live! An extensive topic that covers aspects such as innovations in track pre-assembly, in diversions for freight trains or in holistic real-time monitoring with artificial intelligence (AI).

In addition, this edition will present the most innovative systems for the detection of rockfalls in the Spanish infrastructure, developments in predictive maintenance, remote access solutions for safe operations in railway systems, as well as the development of bespoke products (for anti-corrosion, antinoise, anti-stray, etc.) for this type of infrastructures.

There will also be an analysis of how Artificial Intelligence contributes to the performance and costs of asset management, the digital twin, and the development of Magrail technology for the Hyperloop. Another aspect included in the programme focuses on examples of how the digital programme is being implemented in the United Kingdom, the network maintenance solutions in Lithuania, the innovation in the Tenerife metro, or the implementation of the high-speed line to Galicia. There will also be a discussion on how the industry can address the challenges of interoperability, standardisation, and international traffic

SMART CONSTRUCTION

Technological advances have also had a very positive impact on the construction and modernisation of railway networks. Collaborative working methods such as BIM represent a very relevant step in transport projects, which face the new challenges with more powerful tools to achieve safer, more resilient infrastructures according to new mobility needs. All this will be discussed in detail in this edition of this conference.

MEGA PROJECTS

The progress made by the railway around the world continues to grow steadily. Proof of this are the large investments made to expand the transport of passengers and goods. Rail Live! will dedicate a series of specific sessions to the mega projects that are currently being carried out on several continents. Among them, the high speed of California, and that of the Czech Republic and the Baltic States (Rail Baltica).

FINANCING

In this edition will also be an analysis of the large investments that will be made in Australia, of more than 110 billion dollars on transport in the next ten years. Likewise, there will be a discussion about the opportunities offered by the Next Generation funds for the development of railway infrastructures in Spain, the results of public-private collaboration in transport projects or examples of how systems such as the Tenerife metro, the Tel Aviv light rail or how multimodal node initiatives are developed in countries such as Poland.

THE DIGITAL RAILWAY

The digital transformation and all the benefit it brings to the development of a safer, more reliable, comfortable, and connected railway is another of the main points of the RailLive! 2021.

This block will explain the advantages of using artificial intelligence, wireless communication technologies and the opportunities offered by satellite-based solutions. There will also be presentations on the automation of traffic control, the application of data to optimise the maintenance of rolling stock, the homogenisation in standards to accelerate digitalisation, the development of hybrid communication networks, prescriptive analytics based on intelligent asset management systems, the BIM methodology or how digitalisation achieves great aerodynamic improvements in railway circuits, among numerous other topics.

CONTROL OF TRAINS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Safety in railway traffic is one of the key points, and especially important, in the operation of the networks. All topics related to the control of trains and communications also have specific panels this year at the conference.

They will expose how future systems are designed and implemented, how operations are defined with automatic train driving or digital implementation in traffic management. There will be examples of the development of ERTMS in Albania, of experiments such as ATO on ETCS, the ETCS laboratories in Germany, the digitalisation of traffic operations in the Netherlands or the establishment of a CCS on board architecture in France, among other aspects. More details of the operational control centre of Madrid Metro, in Spain, will also be given. In addition, another point that will be analysed is how the deployment of ERTMS through railway research laboratories is being accelerated.

GOODS

In addition to the large number of conferences dedicated to passenger transport, goods also have their prominence in the Rail Live 2021! conference. Topics such as digitalisation and the implementation of new technologies will be the focus of the debate, as well as the analysis of such important challenges as doubling the figure of goods transported by railway in Europe by 2030, the boost to intermodality or the measures to become a more sustainable mobility alternative. These panels also include examples of how the transformation of the sector is carried out in countries such as France.

INTEGRATED MOBILITY

The conference will host one of the main changes in mobility: the integration of different modes of transport. A challenge that will be analysed by the different experts who present this year at the conference.

These sessions will offer the opportunity to see how progress is made in the proposal of a comprehensive passenger service that covers their journey “door to door”. They will also explain the advance of new concepts such as “mobility as a service” where the traveller is the centre and where a multimodal combination is very necessary. In this combination all possible means are integrated (bus, bike, train, self-driving vehicles), being fully connected and offering a highly competitive alternative for the user to opt for shared transport as opposed to a private vehicle.

CIBERSECURITY

Cybersecurity is one of the fields where more advances are made in transport. In this edition of the conference, industry experts, representatives of railway operators and communication companies will undertake a complete review of how the operation of the different networks is managed in order to make them as safe as possible and with the aim of avoiding incidents.

All these systems currently have the additional advantages provided by new digital developments and the implementation of state-of-the-art technology.