This sector represents the intersection of rolling stock and infrastructure within the Railway System Department. Its main purpose is to study the interaction and interfaces between the various technical subsystems by means of a systemic and holistic approach. Its activities are aimed at optimising the operational, economic and environmental efficiency of the railway system, ensuring its safety and improving interoperability (see https://uic.org/rail-system/train-track-interaction/). The sector is currently chaired by David Villalmanzo Resusta, Head of Strategic Analysis Area at ADIF.

The last sector board meeting took place on 20 January via web conference, and was attended by 11 participants from ADIF, HS2, Network Rail, RFI, RSSB and SNCF.
The first session was opened by the Chair and was devoted to the UIC strategy and the sector work programme for the 2022-2025 period.

David Villalmanzo’s opening speech focused on the new RSF strategy, as well as the new diagram of the Rail System Department. The document ‘Vision for Rail 2030’ was also discussed.

Later, a follow-up on the plan for the migration from UIC leaflets to IRSs for the sector was explained.

Participants were also informed of the latest details for each sub-working group: the projects they are facing, leaflets that need to be analysed, and any feasible new project proposals.

Further discussions were held on the TTI Sector’s interest in disruptive means of transportation (e.g. Hyperloop) and their synergies with the railway ecosystem, as presented by Antonio Gimenez Macías, a student from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

Mercedes Gutierrez Ferrándiz from UIC provided information on the World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) taking place in Birmingham this year. The TTI Sector will be participating in the WCRR, presenting the SAFIRST and AERONOISE projects.

At the end of the first part of the meeting, participants were informed about the updated Opt-In Process timeline for 2023.

Additionally, Professor Dr Luis Miguel Baeza from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia presented his activities (working experience in this field) and advanced capabilities in “Validation of measurements of the wheel-rail contact forces through instrumented wheelsets”.

The second part of the meeting was entirely devoted to the seven projects currently underway. The respective coordinators and technical leaders presented the current situation in relation to each project:

• Y/Q project to assess the effect of train running instabilities on track (presented by David Villalmanzo Resusta)
• HARMO-TRACK project, which aims to harmonise data formats and thresholds for track geometry and dynamic measurements (presented by Danilo Sorrentino, SNCF)
• SAFIRST project for sidewind assessment for infrastructure and rolling stock (presented by Terence Johnson, RSSB)
• CROSS-T: a project aimed at ensuring safe train operations when crossing in mixed traffic lines (presented by David Villalmanzo)
• AERONOISE project, which focuses on developing an improved noise emission measurement method for high-speed trains (presented by Gennaro Sica)
• DYNMEASURE project, which focuses on dynamic railway measurement systems at the trackside and on board (presented by Marcos Conceiçao, UIC TTI Sector)
• G-CODE project, which aims to propose a new, harmonised methodology for the calculation of the clearance gauge (presented by Marcos Conceiçao, UIC TTI Sector)

The meeting was closed by the Chair, David Villalmanzo Resusta, who thanked the participants for an interesting and efficient meeting.