On 27 January 2026, the UIC headquarters in Paris hosted an in-person workshop for System Pillar Task 1, an initiative of the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail). This task is jointly led by the Artur Fojud, UIC, representing the railway operating community (infrastructure managers and railway undertakings), and Joachim Tiedemann (the European Rail Supply Industry Organisation (UNIFE)/Siemens), acting as the supplier leader.
The role of the System Pillar
The System Pillar acts as the “generic system integrator” and architect for the future EU railway system. Its primary mission is to unify Europe’s fragmented national networks by moving away from localised technical approaches toward a layered, secure, and standardised system view. This governance and functional architecture is essential to accelerating the deployment of innovative solutions across the heavy rail network, ultimately aiming to realise the Single European Railway Area (SERA).
Task 1: Defining the “to-be” architecture
The core aim of Task 1 is to define a technology-agnostic common European railway system architecture at the operational and business levels. This robust structure is designed to protect long-term investments while enabling rapid technological integration.
The current work of the Task 1 team is to analyse in detail the five main Railway System Capabilities:
- Manage energy
- Maintain and monitor infrastructure
- Upgrade or renew infrastructure network capabilities
- Operate trains
- Maintain and monitor rolling stock
Building on the previously developed “as-is” model, the team has identified pain points and common business objectives to formulate a “to-be” rail system architecture. This model will serve as the foundation for a high-level global architecture model, which is currently being refined through joint effort from the Task 1 experts and extensive cross-sector consultation.
Collaborative innovation in Paris
In 2026, a group of experts with different backgrounds are working together within SP Task 1, representing the perspectives and experience of both the railway operating community and the manufacturing industry. Key participants included:
- Suppliers: Siemens, Constructions and Auxiliary Railway (CAF), Mermec (UNIFE members)
- Undertakings & infrastructure managers: National French Railways (SNCF), Polish State Railways (PKP), Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), Infrabel, and the Rail Research Institute from Warsaw, Poland (UIC Members)
- Methodological (architecture) support: Experts from CESAMES, a leading French group in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and digital engineering, provided the systemic framework to control complexity throughout the system life cycle
“The business process architecture and operational design defined here will reflect common business objectives and future performance needs, ensuring that the railway system delivers seamless operational capabilities across all European borders.”
Next steps
This session was the first in a series of strategic workshops scheduled for 2026. The collaborative effort to refine the “High-level Global Architecture Model” will continue at the next in-person workshop on 25 March 2026. In the meantime, the SP Task 1 team will work asynchronously and also meet for shorter online workshop sessions.
For more information on the EU-Rail System Pillar and its transformative impact on European transport, please visit the official website at: Home - Europe’s Rail.
