On 5 October 2026, the UIC Station Managers Global Group (SMGG) held its plenary session in Utrecht, the Netherlands. It brought together representatives from railway and station management organisations across Europe and North America to share experiences, discuss common challenges, and make progress on key initiatives for the sector.
Members reviewed the progress of the SMGG Working Groups and approved the launch of the 2027 Station Awards, building on the success of the previous edition. Winners of the 2025 awards also presented their projects, showcasing innovative approaches to sustainability, station operations, passenger security, commercial development and community engagement.
The following selected projects were presented during this session:
- Architecture Research Engagement Post-Carbon (AREP)/National French Railways (SNCF) Gares & Connexions: Bioclimatic Atlas of Major Paris Railway Stations
- Jernhusen: Varberg station
- Dutch Railways (NS) Stations: Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort
- Danish State Railways (DSB): Improving safety and security
- Italian Railway Network (RFI): Commercial Attractivity Index
- NS Stations: Station communities
- Jernhusen: Svenska Reseterminaler (Swedish travel terminals)
- RFI: Italian Atlas of Slow Mobility
Further details on these projects can be found in the 2025 UIC Railway Station Awards catalogue: https://shop.uic.org/fr/autres-rapports/15397-railway-station-awards-2025-overview-of-the-winners-special-jury-prizes.html
Another key topic was the planned revision of IRS 10181 on user information in railway stations, drawing on recent work by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The plenary also agreed to organise the next SMGG webinar in June 2027 and discussed the possibility of cooperating with the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), particularly regarding intermodality and small stations.
Alongside the meeting, participants attended technical visits to Utrecht Centraal, the Dutch Operational Control Centre Rail (OCCR), Amsterdam Centraal, Amsterdam Zuid, Driebergen-Zeist, and Utrecht Overvecht. These visits provided insight into Dutch railway operations, multimodal integration, station redevelopment, and the management of passenger flows.
The plenary session was followed by a joint meeting of two SMGG working groups: Facility Management & Operation and Small Stations.
The meeting reaffirmed SMGG’s commitment to fostering international cooperation, sharing best practices, and supporting the development of more sustainable, efficient, and passenger-oriented railway stations worldwide.
