Which role for railway undertakings in the mobility of the future?

Digitalization is producing a dramatic change in the transportation sector, across and within existing modes of mobility. Speakers at the 14th Florence Rail Forum shared their thoughts on how digitalization and cooperation can increase rail transport for passengers in the future. 

More and more, railways are becoming just one element of a complex mobility system that is, thanks to the ICTs, increasingly integrated, connected, efficient and user-friendly, providing customers with seamless end-to-end journeys that combine all modes of transport available. While the “Mobility-as-a-Service” paradigm seems to be driving the future of transportation, railway undertakings – as mass transportation providers – have a lot to win (or lose) in the shift from transport device ownership to mobility access and usership. Data is key to this development, which comes with risks, among which (cyber) security and the integrity of personal data of individual passengers. Clear rules on how to handle various types of data are needed to fully make use of the vast potential data analysis can offer.

At the 14th Florence Rail Forum representatives of regulators, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, rail suppliers, authorities, associations, and academics looked at the new emerging mobility system, focusing especially on long-distance passenger transportation. 

Watch the Forum Highlights! 

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Programme of the Forum

Slides presented at the Forum

Summary of the presentations

European Transport Regulation Observer