Rail Innovation Challenge 7th
Rail Innovation Challenge 7th
Revolutionize everyday mobility with Ferrocampus and its partners! Win exceptional awards and meet to industry experts!
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Shape the future of mobility with the rail industry!
With increasing urbanization, our transportation needs are evolving rapidly. Solutions must go beyond simple travel by offering a rewarding experience, efficient operation and advanced technologies.
Rail, with its unique potential, is at the heart of this transformation. We invite you to imagine innovative solutions in three key categories.
All ideas are welcome to make rail a central pillar of our future!
Rail, with its unique potential, is at the heart of this transformation. We invite you to imagine innovative solutions in three key categories.
All ideas are welcome to make rail a central pillar of our future!
TRACK 2035 Operation
The Context
It is 2035. After decades of climate disruption, increasing urban traffic, and aging infrastructure, the European Union launches the TRACK 2035 project: to modernize and unify the European rail network by 2035, making it the dominant mode of transportation across the continent.
But with three years left until the deadline, the project is facing four simultaneous crises. The teams in charge of the network are launching an exceptional call for applications: they are recruiting fresh, curious, and bold minds to join them.
You have been selected. You form TRACK 2035 Task Force.
It is 2035. After decades of climate disruption, increasing urban traffic, and aging infrastructure, the European Union launches the TRACK 2035 project: to modernize and unify the European rail network by 2035, making it the dominant mode of transportation across the continent.
But with three years left until the deadline, the project is facing four simultaneous crises. The teams in charge of the network are launching an exceptional call for applications: they are recruiting fresh, curious, and bold minds to join them.
You have been selected. You form TRACK 2035 Task Force.
Your Mission
Each team chooses one of the four crises to solve. You have a few weeks to analyze the problem, propose a concrete and innovative solution, and then defend it before the TRACK 2035 Committee — made up of railway industry professionals.
You don't need to be a railway expert. This field needs all kinds of skills: engineers, marketers, data scientists, project managers, and designers. The only prerequisite? The desire to solve a real problem.
Each team chooses one of the four crises to solve. You have a few weeks to analyze the problem, propose a concrete and innovative solution, and then defend it before the TRACK 2035 Committee — made up of railway industry professionals.
You don't need to be a railway expert. This field needs all kinds of skills: engineers, marketers, data scientists, project managers, and designers. The only prerequisite? The desire to solve a real problem.
The 4 Missions of the Task Force
The sponsors have proposed missions to challenge you! Discover the mission below.
For each mission, additional context is available here (for registered participants).
Mission 1 - Clean Transportation
Despite the decarbonization efforts in the transportation sector, dozens of regional rail lines in Europe still run on diesel, with new rolling stock purchased as recently as 2030, when no other alternatives were available. This issue is similar for rail freight. To meet the 2050 climate goals, we must find concrete and realistic alternatives to decarbonize these lines and services—without cutting off the regions they serve.
Key Challenges:
› How can diesel trains be replaced on secondary lines with low traffic?
› Which alternative technologies (hydrogen, batteries, partial overhead lines) are suitable for which types of lines?
› How can we convince local stakeholders and regions to adopt these new solutions? And how can we encourage manufacturers to invest?
› How can we successfully introduce these changes into the freight business model, given that operators work with very tight margins and very limited investment capacity?
A mission proposed by: Fer de France et UIC
Mission 2 - Rail for Everyone, Everywhere
In many regions, rail is perceived as complex, expensive, or ill-suited to local needs. It faces competition from MaaS services, which, however, clog the roads to such an extent that road infrastructure is now saturated. The result: entire populations are not using rail-based solutions, even as better-connected public transit services are beginning to emerge. The Task Force must find a way to make rail truly accessible to everyone—including those who never ride it—and expand the coverage of multimodal services everywhere, across all regions and internationally.
Key Challenges:
› Why do certain people (young people, rural residents, older adults, or people with disabilities) not use the train, even when it’s possible?
› What services, tools, or offerings could effectively remove these barriers?
› How can we measure whether an inclusive solution is truly effective?
› How can we improve access to rural areas and develop intermodal services to further increase the share of public transit and encourage a shift to public transit?
› How can we develop a customer-tailored offering that is easy to access, clear, and fast?
› What does the future hold for multimodal transit hubs (train stations, bus stops, tram stations, subway stations, etc.) and how can they connect to now-cleaner very-long-distance modes of transportation (electric airplanes, sailboats, airships, etc.)?
A mission proposed by: Mass Transit Academy et UIC
Mission 3 - Unwavering Safety
The trains of the future are increasingly connected and automated. This is a major advance, but it also creates new vulnerabilities: unexpected breakdowns, software errors, and cyberattacks. In 2045, a technical incident on a high-speed line paralyzed the network for 36 hours. How can we prevent this from happening again?
Key Challenges:
› How can a failure be detected before it occurs on a connected train?
› What data should be monitored as a priority to ensure the safety of a rail network?
› How can human teams be trained and prepared to respond to a technical crisis in an automated system?
A mission proposed by: Wabtec et Alstom
Mission 4 - The Brain of the Network
Every day, the rail network generates millions of data points: train locations, passenger volume, track conditions, energy consumption… This data is collected but rarely utilized. Yet it could transform the passenger experience and radically improve the network’s operations.
Key Challenges:
› What data is most useful for improving the passenger experience, and how can it be leveraged?
› How can we build a simple tool that enables operators to make better decisions in real time?
› How can we ensure that this data is used ethically and securely?
A mission proposed by: Alstom