From 26 to 30 October 2026, the annual training session organised jointly by Moroccan National Railways (ONCF) and UIC was held in person at the ONCF training centre in Rabat (Morocco). As part of the Africa region annual programme, the session was attended by railway experts from countries of North, West and Central Africa.
Through the UIC Africa Programme, capacity building and knowledge sharing contribute directly to strengthening human capital and helping develop an integrated, modern, and sustainable railway network across the continent.
This session included presentations on the following topics:
- Track components’ design, approval and quality assurance by Rosa Casquero, UIC Head of Infrastructure, Train-Track Interactions (TTI) and Asset Management
- Using the track as a sensor for monitoring, by Francisco Cabrera, Deputy Head of Operations and Safety
- Diagnostic and track monitoring in arid environments: challenges, solutions and opportunities, by Nikolaos Demiridis, UIC Senior Advisor for Infrastructure, Asset Management & TTI.
The first presentation underlined how heavily the safety and reliability of railway infrastructure depend on the rigorous selection and quality control of its core components. As highlighted in previous training sessions, the “certification” process is essential to ensuring that a product's design and manufacturing meet strict technical requirements before it can be put on the market. This process ensures that critical elements such as rail, sleepers (concrete, wood, composite or steel), fastening systems, switches and crossings, and ballast can withstand intense stresses, aging processes, environmental factors and heavy cumulative loads.
The second presentation showcased how the track can serve as a sensor, continuously monitoring the state of the infrastructure, the environment and trains. Fibre-optic sensors and other detectors can identify risks, damage and anomalies. The data they collect helps improve safety, availability and maintenance by informing decision-making processes.
The last presentation discussed the challenges, solutions and opportunities infrastructure managers (IM) face in arid environments. Focusing on ballast as a key component of the railway track, the UIC team detailed the key performance requirements, criteria and issues which can lead to, or avoid, ballast fouling. It presented a theoretical yet practical train-track interaction framework to explain and understand the impact of ballast fouling through vertical and lateral track forces, supported by a set of mitigations measures to assist African IMs in better framing their track maintenance strategy. The session concluded with a presentation of the Research and Development (R&D) work that UIC is leading in the field including the Resilient Railways facing climate change (RERA) Hub, long-term support (LTS) Modelling Tool, and HarmoTrack 2.
