Driving the Future of Rail: WDF Vienna 2025 Set New Benchmarks in Digital Signalling
Over three dynamic days (15–17 October) at Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere, the Wayside Digitalisation Forum 2025 brought together leading railway operators, technology providers, system integrators, and experts from around the world.
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The event focused on the ongoing digital transformation of railway signalling and wayside infrastructure. Attendees highlighted the value of sharing real-world experiences from digitalisation projects across countries, with particular attention to the importance of standardisation and complexity reduction across borders – topics that resonated far beyond Europe.
Technical speeches, inspiring conversations
The technical sessions of WDF 2025 were structured around multiple thematic streams, covering the full spectrum of digital signalling, system architecture, predictive maintenance, and cross-system integration. Speakers from Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia showcased diverse implementation experiences, offering a truly global perspective on the challenges and opportunities of digital signalling transformation. All streams were interspersed with extended breaks, allowing for personal dialogue and exchange. Key highlights included:
. Digital Interlocking as a platform for ETCS rollout, featuring insights from DB InfraGO’s Donauwörth project amongst others
. EULYNX and modular signalling architectures, addressing how standardization enables a flexible, interoperable future, emphasized in a presentation from the EULYNX consortium and others
. Predictive Maintenance and Digital Twins, presented by ÖBB and international technology partners
. Monitoring and diagnostics, with contributions from Network Rail, KONUX, and others
. Operational value through digital diagnostics, including best practices from Infrabel
Standardisation and complexity reduction – central to the debate
One of the most discussed topics throughout the forum was how standardisation — particularly through initiatives like EULYNX — can make signalling systems interoperable across borders while reducing engineering and operational complexity. “We had controversial discussions about this in both panels”, says Michael Leining, Managing Director, Nextrail, who moderated the discussions on stage: “System integration was the other big topic that we were speaking about. There are challenges for all the infrastructure managers as well as suppliers to handle system integration when it comes to standardization.” In total, all participants emphasised that digital transformation requires not only technological advances but also organisational and regulatory alignment.
A strong signal of success
The Wayside Digitalisation Forum 2025 was a resounding success — a testament to the sector’s collective commitment to progress. The event fostered an exceptional atmosphere of collaboration and openness. Participants valued not only the technical depth of the sessions but also the cross-industry networking opportunities that will help accelerate global efforts to digitalise railway infrastructure. Key figures underline its impact:
. Around 220 attendees
. Speakers and participants from 30 countries, 5 continents and 81 railway companies
. 29 speakers delivering 20 presentations and 2 panel discussions
By connecting real-world experiences with visionary strategies, WDF 2025 strengthened its position as a key platform for the future of wayside digitalisation.
The message from Vienna was clear: the digital transformation of rail signalling is well underway — and collaboration across industries and borders is the key to making it a sustainable success.
Voices from Speakers
Alexander Kruse, Technical Product Manager, SNCF:
"I think it's very important to organize such events because one of the biggest problems in our work is to address the right topic to the right person. Such events allow us to meet the right people and to speak, to establish the contact so we can work together to find solutions for our day-to-day problems."
Andreas Busemann, Managing Partner, quattron GmbH:
"I think it's overdue to have that event coming back to stage. These are wonderful days here in Vienna with lots of competent and interesting people. I had so many great discussions and networking over those breaks in between. I think it was a very, very good panel discussion that I was invited to today. We had quite interesting positions to defend, and we had a good argument and a good discussion."
Mirko Blazic, Technical Lead / EULYNX Consortium, EULYNX:
"I'm enjoying my days at the WDF in Vienna. Great discussion on EULYNX and on standardization and how to advance the standardization in the sector. We also heard some critical points which we will take on board with us for future developments."
Christian Pucher, Programme Director WDF:
"With WDF Vienna 2025, our ambition was to bring the global wayside community together and elevate the conversation on digital signalling. The engagement, debate, and openness we experienced exceeded all expectations. The next challenge is to translate ideas into action — and shaping the future of signalling – together."
About Wayside Digitalisation Forum
The Wayside Digitalisation Forum (WDF) is a leading global platform dedicated to advancing digital signalling, object control, and monitoring in the railway industry. Evolving from the renowned Wheel Detection Forum, the WDF explores innovative field elements, their seamless integration into various systems, and efficient operations throughout the entire lifecycle. The event brings stakeholders from across the industry together to network, exchange knowledge, and drive the future of railway digitalisation.
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