2020 has been a year of crisis. Europe, and the world, have endured two waves of a pandemic and numerous examples of the intensifying ramifications of climate change. Rail is clearly a solution to both of these challenges.

As Europe’s cleanest, safest and most reliable form of mass transportation, the rail sector has demonstrated its value, moving goods and personnel as needed for effective crisis management and as a potential backbone for a sustainable multimodal mobility paradigm aligned with EU Green Deal objectives. ERRAC’s new Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda describes nine research and innovation “transforming projects” required to maximise the European railways’ contribution to meeting emerging mobility needs and strengthening green freight, exploring new solutions such as automation, digital twins and smart asset management.

The document, produced on the sector’s behalf by the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC), establishes a new research and innovation agenda with the potential to transform rail’s contribution to European mobility, addressing the needs of users, the economy and society while contributing to rail’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and protecting natural resources and the environment.

Discussing the importance of continued innovation, Mr Alberto Parrondo, ERRAC Chair and Thales Vice-President, said “Rail has demonstrated it can satisfy the mobility needs of goods and passengers, can accommodate capacity growth and can deliver large transformation programmes. The sector is rich in ideas to make effective use of technology and innovation”.

Read the full Strategic Research Innovation Agenda here.

The ERRAC Secretariat is coordinated by Mr Martin Brennan.