TECHNICAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Tuesday 30 September 2025
Wednesday 01 October 2025
Thursday 02 October 2025
11:00 11:40
Session: High-Speed Rail
HSR Market Liberalization
Michele Gesauldi, High Speed Rail Advisor, International Union of Railways (UIC)
Navigating the Complexities of Cross-Border High-Speed Rail: Challenges, Specificities, and Solutions
Stephane Mortier, Director, SYSTRA
Impact of High-Speed Rail on Spatial Planning
Marc Guigon, Founder, MG Consult
12:00 13:00
Session: AI and data-driven predictive maintenance
Wheel - Rail Interface Study
Tom Thomas, Consultant, DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH
Leading Transition From Reactive Maintenance to Predictive, Data-driven Management
Hartwig Lankow, Vice President, Voestalpine Railway Systems GmbH
From Acceleration Data to Rail Intelligence: Leveraging In-Service Trains to Achieve Operational Excellence
Niels Goet, Chief Product Officer, CEMIT
13:00 14:00
Networking Lunch
14:00 15:20
Session: Digital Asset Lifecycle Management
Digital Twins Throughout the Rail Asset Lifecycle
Andrew Smith, Rail Industry Solutions Manager, Bentley Systems Ltd
RailXplore Fusion: AI-powered Rail Infrastructure applications for Secure, Sustainable, and Profitable Operations
Daniel Weitze, Portfolio Management Connectivity & IoT, Siemens Mobility
Maximizing operational business value with the next-generation data model for railway infrastructure & operations
Etienne Pansart, Head of Partership and Academic Innovation, SYSTRA
Reimagining Railway Asset Lifecycle Management with Digital Twins and AI
Muhammad Anwel, CTO, Kodifly Limited
15:20 17:00
Session: Improving Operational Efficiency
Ironlev Passive Magnetic Levitation on Conventional Railways: Ongoing Pilot Tests and Technological Advancements
Lorenzo Andrea Parrotta, Co-Founder and Board Member, IronLev
Improving Efficiency and Safety in Railways through Real Time Condition Monitoring Using Revenue Trains
Ravi Ravitharan, Director, Monash Institute of Railway Technology
Building Smarter, Safer, and Sustainable Rail: How Integrated Digital Platforms Are Transforming Operations
Romain Mahe, Rail Vertical Leader for META, Honeywell
Modeling and Analysis of Virtual Coupling Railway Operations for Unit Trains in Large-Scale Capacity Scenarios
Lei Wang, PhD Student, University of Birmingham
RailSync – The world’s first digital solution with real-time rail operations for terminals, shunter, and railway undertakings
Christoph Kappler, CEO, RailSync
10:00 11:20
Session: Cybersecurity Solutions and Protocols
Building Resilient and Intelligent Rail Operations with AI-Driven Industrial Platforms
Goran Novkovic, Director, Industrial Cybersecurity, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Securing OT-IT Integration in Railway Systems: Cybersecurity Challenges and Solutions
Dr. Ali Shikai, Cyber Security Manager, AtkinsRealis
Cybersecurity Challenges in AI-Driven Railway Systems
Christian Schlehuber, Managing Director / Lead Cybersecurity Expert, Cybershield
Digital Maintenance: An Expensive Cyber Security Blind Spot
Alexander Cowan, CEO, RazorSecure
11:20 12:40
Session: Innovative Materials and Sustainable Practices in Railway Infrastructure
Thermal Comfort Process as a Key Design Factor for Lifecycle Energy Efficiency in Elevated Urban Rail Stations
Akmalia Zain, Post – Graduate Researcher, Heriot-Watt University
Thiocrete: Cement-Free, Water-Free, Low-CO2 Sulfur Concrete for Sustainable Railway Sleepers
Denis Coppieters, CEO, ThioTrack
Efficient and Cost-Effective Methods for Controlling Wind-Blown Sand on Railway Tracks
Hassan Hemida, Professor, University of Birmingham
Durability Assessment and Sustainable Application of Recycled Aggregate Concrete for Etihad Rail
Wajeeha Mahmood, Structural Engineer, National Consultant Office for Engineering
12:40 13:40
Networking Lunch
13:40 15:20
Session: Passenger Experience
Digital Innovation at Korea National Railway: Beyond what you have seen before
Hoon SOHN, Ph.D., Executive Director, Korea Railway Innovation Institute, Korea National Railway, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea
The Public Transport Attractiveness Index: A Multi-Source Framework for Comparing Transit Competitiveness Across Time and Space
Johan C. Haveland, CEO, Asistobe AS
A Global Perspective: A Passenger Experience across 3 Metros, 3 Cities
Keith Allen, Principal Architect, Hassell
Designing Passenger Experiences that People Love
Jeremy White, Transport Design Director, Seymour Powell
Hyderabad Metro Rail – A New Paradigm in Seamless Urban Commutes
KVB Reddy, MD and CEO, L&T Metro Rail
15:20 15:40
Session: Innovations in Predictive and Condition-based Maintenance
ARGO: A Mobile Robotic Platform for Automated Undercarriage Inspection and Condition-Based Rolling Stocks Maintenance
Massimiliano Gabardi, CEO, Next Generation Robotics
Cost-benefit-analysis of Predictive Maintenance Solutions for Rail Infrastructure
Jacob Spanke, Scientific Advisor, DZSF
Predictive Maintenance and Actionable Insights in Railway Wheel Maintenance: New Opportunities through AI and ML-Based Models
Renate Grabler-Gußmagg, CEO, Nextsense GmbH
16:00 17:00
Session: Urban planning and TOD
Urban rail and property integration – how to make it stack up?
Peter Morley, Principal, Hassell
Environment Driven Urban Development for the Next 100 Years: Implementing DX and GX in Takanawa Gateway City
Keisuke Kiyotani, Deupty Director, East Japan Railway Company
Planning and Implementing a Multi-Modal Hub through Transit oriented Development (TOD) Principles: The Case study of Hyderabad, India
Vijayalakshmi K, Advisor, Balaji Rail Road System P Ltd
10:00 11:00
Session: End-to-end Sustainable Transportation
Transport integration with the example of High Speed and Urban Mobility
Cyril Baligand, Deputy Practice Lead - Rail & PMC – EMEA, Parsons
Leveraging Carbon Tracking for End-to-End Sustainable Transport
Deepika Parmar, Senior Sustainability Manager, SYSTRA
Planning a Seamless Integrated Mobility System for Abu Dhabi
Shadi Anani, Transport Policy & Planning Consultant, Abu Dhabi Integrated Transport Centre
11:00 12:00
Session: Monitoring and Risk Management in Rail Operations
Intelligent Fibre Optic based Intrusion Detection
Sachin Bansal, Delivery Head – Aerospace and Rail, L & T Technology Services
A Systemic In-Service Monitoring Approach to Train-Track Interaction and Performance Assessment
Mani Entezami, Senior Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, CTO, MoniRail Ltd
Satellite -Based Rail Monitoring for Proactive Ground Risk Management
Majed Abdallah, Business Development Manager, Middle East & Turkiye, TRE ALTAMIRA
12:00 12:40
Networking Lunch
12:40 14:00
Session: Physical Security and Operational Safety
Application of Systems Engineering, Ergonomics and Anthropometrics associated with the Railway Project
Jason Nguyen, Chief Technical Principal - Rail Systems & Safety Assurance, Surbana Jurong Group
Balanced, Integrated Security Approach for Railways
Soroush Tazerji, Global Director of Security Services, Sener Group
RoboDogs in Rail – Autonomous Inspection, Security Operations, and Coordinated Intervention for the Rail Systems of Tomorrow
Michael Kirchhof, Managing Director, Dr. Kirchhof Ventures GmbH
Revolutionizing Track Maintenance with Autonomous Track Inspection Vehicles for Enhanced Efficiency and Reliability
Kaushik V N, MS Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
14:00 15:20
Session: Project Planning and Management
Embedding a Vision for Operational End-state During Project Planning
Rupert Ingham, Director, Grant Thornton
On The Right Track: Can Strategic Planning be Used to Overcome Challenges in African Railway Development and Enhance Investment Potential?
Alexander Farnell, Country Manager / Senior Project Manager, SYSTRA
Managing Engineering Changes in Complex Rail Projects: A Systems Engineering Approach
Janarthan Vedantham, Senior Systems Engineering Manager, AECOM
Benchmarking Financial Models for High-Speed Rail Infrastructure
Michele Gesauldi, High Speed Rail Advisor, International Union of Railways (UIC)
15:20 17:00
Session: Advancements in Railway Signalling and Communications
Train2Cloud: Evolution of CBTC with Cloud Technology
Nima Doagou, Senior Sales Manager, Siemens Mobility
Advancing Railway Signalling Interoperability: The Role of KTCS-2&3 in Global Integration
Haksun Yun, General Manager, Korea National Railroad Corporation
GSMR to FRMCS Migration – Potential challenges and Road map for the migration
Tasneem Ahmed, Railway Systems Manager, Indra Group
Unlocking the Potential: Lessons Learned from ERTMS Implementation and Evolution in Rail Industry Digital Signaling
Silvia Dominguez, Head of ERTMS, INECO
Bridging the Interoperability Gap: Leveraging ERTMS for Advanced CBTC Metro Applications
Frédéric Bernaudin, Head of Bid, Compagnie des Signaux
Tuesday 30 September 2025
Wednesday 01 October 2025
Thursday 02 October 2025
PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE: CHOOSE THE RIGHT PASS FOR YOU
Technical Delegate Pass
Includes all benefits of the Visitor Pass, plus access to the Technical Conference—where focused, solution-driven sessions are held on engineering, systems, and innovation. Also includes entry to the delegate lunch and coffee networking breaks.
BENEFITS
3-day access to:
- Exhibition Floor
- Specialized Exhibition Areas
- Technical Conference
- Networking Lunch and Delegate Coffee Breaks
$399
Early Bird Offer (Valid until July)
$299
All Access Delegate Pass
Grants full access to both the Technical and Strategic Conferences. Hear from senior leaders, government representatives, and industry pioneers driving global transport strategies. Includes all networking functions, VIP lounges, and exclusive sessions.
BENEFITS
3-day access to:
- Exhibition Floor
- Specialized Exhibition Areas
- Technical Conference
- Networking Lunch and Delegate Coffee Breaks
- Strategic Conference
- Networking Access
$799
Early Bird Offer (Valid until July)
$599
