The World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) is the world’s largest international congress on railway research. The event was initiated in 1994 by SNCF (France), DB AG (Germany), Trenitalia (Italy), RTRI (Japan), RSSB (UK), TTCI (USA) and UIC. WCRR’s ambition has always been to offer an overview of technical railway development and innovation to facilitate ideas for future orientation from a management perspective. WCRR is the world’s only cross-thematic congress dedicated to the subject of innovation in the railway sector, open to all stakeholders, from railway companies to industry and research institutions.
Organised every two years, the WCRR brings together hundreds of participants for a week of presentations and workshops on the latest railway research and innovation developments.
The 2025 conference will be split into the following streams, covering a varied range of sub-topics:
- Inspiring the future of rail transport
Emerging technologies in moving people and goods | Advancements in operations and train control technologies | Alternative energy sources and storage (battery, hydrogen, etc) | Alternative guidance and propulsion (maglev, hyperloop, etc) | Advancements in signaling, communications, and train detection technologies | 1.6. Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the railway sector | Advanced manufacturing methods (3D printing, etc) | Digital twin | Workforce development | International collaboration | Public-private partnership - Attractive, green, and sustainable railways
Shift from other transportation modes to rail | Attracting more customers | Improved customer experience | Electronic shift (paperless processes, electronic ticketing, etc) | Energy efficiency | Railway contribution to green transformation (reduced carbon footprint, etc) | Reduction of waste and pollution | Optimizing train scheduling, capacity, and operations | Door-to-door connectivity for passengers and freight | Noise/vibration countermeasures, aerodynamics | Diverse and engaged workforce | Investment and economic efficiency - Resilient, reliable, and intelligent railways
Disruption management and response planning | Understanding and mitigating climate change impacts | Understanding and mitigating extreme weather events | Risk assessment and management | Advanced condition monitoring systems and technology | Service quality, reliability, on-time performance | Human factors - Safety and security
Safety assessment/evaluation | Security, including cyber security | Grade crossings / level crossings | Trespasser issues | Train operation safety, driver and crew, human factors | Maintaining a safe environment for workers | Derailment/capsizing and collision | Bio safety and security - Reliable and easy to maintain moving assets
Rolling stock design for passenger rail | Rolling stock design for freight rail | Rolling stock components/subsystems | Braking performance | Rolling stock maintenance | Condition-based maintenance, condition monitoring, inspection and detection, including data and predictive analytics | Asset management for rolling stock | Lightweight vehicles | High-speed rolling stock - Reliable and easy to maintain fixed assets
Construction and restoration of new lines | Structures (bridges, tunnels, stations) | Materials and track components | Rail/track/infrastructure design | Rail/track/infrastructure maintenance | Condition-based maintenance, condition monitoring, inspection and detection, unmanned aerial vehicle technology in maintenance, including data and predictive analytics | Asset management for infrastructure | Electric power/catenary facilities | Signaling and communication systems - Reliable and easy to maintain asset and system interfaces
Rail/wheel (vehicle-track) interaction | Rolling stock/pantograph-catenary interaction | Train marshalling | Car coupling (including Digital Automatic Coupling DAC) | Electromagnetic compatibility | Standards and technical regulation development | Test, homologation, and cross-acceptance | Global certification for innovative product development | The role of rail in an origin-to-destination transportation network
The WCRR 2025 is co-located with IHHA 2025 under the event banner Rail Research Week, hosted by MxV Rail. Join us at this landmark event to engage with the brightest minds in the industry, explore the latest trends, and contribute to the next chapter of rail innovation.
