On 22 October 2026, the UIC Global Passenger Forum (GPF) held its second plenary meeting in its renewed format at UIC headquarters in Paris and online, bringing together members and experts from across the passenger railway community.
Since UIC Passenger Week in April 2026, this UIC statutory body dedicated to passenger activities has gained momentum, supported by a new team and a clearer role that involves ensuring strategic alignment, continuity and effective coordination across the Forum’s work.
The meeting agenda covered several key topics, including an update on the GPF Steering Committee, the status of Chairs and appointments, the approval of International Railway Solutions (IRS), the presentation of the passenger training courses linked to the UIC Passenger 2026-20268 Roadmap, with skills development being a focus, and the UIC “IRS-Legacy” approach.
The UIC Rail Academy was highlighted as an essential tool to support the improvement of skills, knowledge sharing and professional development across the passenger rail sector, notably through passenger-focused programmes covering areas such as commuter and regional train services, accessibility, ticketing, high-speed rail and stations.
The meeting also referred to the 56th Watford Conference, held from 14 to 16 October 2026 at the UIC headquarters in Paris, as an example of UIC’s continued commitment to knowledge-building and professional discussions. In addition, the UIC High-Speed Rail Training Session, planned for June 2027, was presented as a major upcoming initiative of the UIC Rail Academy with the aim of supporting skills development and knowledge sharing on high-speed rail systems.
The GBF confirmed that customer experience is at the heart of their renewed approach. The planned Customer Experience Coordination Cluster will connect and coordinate existing initiatives and sectors, including Rail Tourism (TopRail), the Passenger Accessibility Solutions Support and Action Group for Experts (PASSAGE), the Customer Experience Management Platform (CEMP), Passenger Services, Stations Management, Commuter and Regional Train Services, and Intercity & High-Speed activities. Its purpose is to align workstreams relating to customer-centric design, services and passenger experience, while supporting a seamless end-to-end customer journey. Discussions highlighted that different passengers may have different expectations for the same rail journey, such as speed for regular commuters, peace of mind for older travellers, accessibility for wheelchair users, reassurance for families and flexibility for cyclists. These differences confirm the need for a transversal and customer-centric approach across all passenger activities. A dedicated customer experience platform is also being considered for 2028, although its precise format remains to be discussed.
Another discussed topic was the transition from historical UIC Leaflets to the modern IRS framework, led by the UIC standardisation team. IRSs are developed by consensus and applied on a voluntary basis, with the aim of facilitating and harmonising railway operations. This migration supports a more solution-oriented approach to railway needs, taking internationalisation, digitalisation, new technologies and the growing number of interfaces between railway stakeholders into account.
The meeting also highlighted the recognition received by two UIC Passenger IRS documents at the Railway Publications Awards:
- IRS 70734: Adaptation of safety installations to high-speed requirements
- IRS 10150 Classification and categorisation system for tourist-friendly railway services and experiences
This distinction underlines the quality and importance of the work carried out by UIC experts and members to provide practical, harmonised and solution-oriented reference documents to the international railway community.
Thanks to its renewed format, more active Steering Committee, strong focus on customer experience and commitment to skills development through the UIC Rail Academy, the Global Passenger Forum is strengthening its role as an international platform for cooperation, innovation and continuous improvement in passenger rail.
The next Global Passenger Forum meetings are expected to maintain this momentum, helping UIC members address shared challenges, improve the passenger journey and positioning rail as the backbone of sustainable, multimodal transport.
