The European Management Committee (EMC) of UIC met in Rome on 23 June, where they were warmly welcomed by Stefano Donnarumma, Chairman of the UIC Europe Region and CEO of FS Italiane Group, along with UIC Director General François Davenne and UIC Europe Director Sandra Géhénot.
As the strategic body for the UIC Europe Region, the EMC brings together CEOs to address key issues that require a collective approach to generate business value for the railway sector. The meeting focused on several priorities outlined in the European roadmap, namely:
- Digital Twin
- Quality and Robustness
- FRMCS (Morane 2)
Digital Twin
The topic of Digital Twin was introduced through presentations by both Italferr and UIC. Stefano Casula from Italferr explained how FS is implementing Digital Twin technologies for climate change adaptation and environmental management, as well as for the monitoring of rail and road bridges, among other applications. He stressed that unlocking the full potential of these technologies involves more than technical implementation; it requires interoperability and strategic governance. The challenge is not solely technical, it also demands coordination and alignment among all stakeholders.
Complementing this, Pierre Tane, UIC Head of Digital Applications, outlined the current landscape of Digital Twin development. He cautioned against a siloed approach and highlighted the time-sensitive opportunity to develop a shared, operator-led vision for achieving interoperability.
Quality and Robustness
Two different but complementary approaches were presented on this theme. Koen Kerckaert (SNCB) shared the findings of an expert report which makes a number of recommendations to Improve the Robustness of the Network and the Quality of Services to Support Modal Shift to Rail. The report adopts a holistic strategic planning framework and advocates for an integrated approach that combines infrastructure, governance, and technology.
This was followed by a presentation from ProRail, which outlined its strategy for enhancing network capacity through operational measures. Developed around 15 years ago, when the Dutch network was experiencing significant operational issues, the approach is inspired by Japanese lean operational practices. It advocates simplification of approach and taking a different look at infrastructure design (signals, switches), vehicle characteristics, and operational rules which all contribute to “capacity killers” and can significantly reduce this theoretical capacity.
FRMCS (Morane 2)
Dan Mandoc, UIC Head of FRMCS, presented the latest updates on the UIC’s specification and testing programme for the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).
The meeting concluded with Massimiliano Garri, Chief Technology Officer of Gruppo FS, introducing FS activity on Artificial Intelligence.
The next meeting of the European Management Committee will be held on 22 September 2025 in Poland.
