On 14 and 15 October 2025, UIC hosted its High-Speed members and working groups at its Paris headquarters for two days of discussions on innovation, research and collaboration in the field of high-speed rail.
The meetings provided an opportunity to review major developments, develop new HSR guidelines, showcase ongoing research projects, and reinforce synergies between experts and international railway institutions.
The two-day programme included:
- The Intercity and Intercity & High-Speed Committee (ICHSC) plenary session
- The Alliance of Universities for High-Speed Rail (AUHSR) plenary session
- The High-Speed IRS Working Group meeting (HS-IRS)
- The Return of EXperience (REX) session for the 12th UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail (UIC WCHSR 2025)
- Intercity & High-Speed Committee (ICHSC) plenary session
Chaired by Huo Baoshi (China Railway), the plenary gathered UIC members from across the high-speed rail sector to discuss strategic priorities and key projects for 2026.
Two keynote speeches illustrated the sector’s global ambition and innovative direction:- Marc-Olivier Ranger (Chief Strategic Policy & Partnerships Officer, ALTO) presented the Canadian High-Speed Rail Network Project, an ambitious initiative integrating climate resilience, local community engagement and a financing model grounded in international partnerships and global expertise.
- Bruno Albos (EMEA Sales Director, Exodigo) introduced a non-intrusive underground mapping technology powered by artificial intelligence. The solution allows for the detection of buried infrastructure (cables, pipelines, structures, etc.) before construction, substantially reducing risks, costs and delays – a promising innovation for railway projects in dense urban areas.
During the session, UIC presented and awarded the sixth edition of the UIC High-Speed Rail Atlas (2024) and reaffirmed its commitment to the upcoming 2025 edition.
- Alliance of Universities for High-Speed Rail (AUHSR) plenary session
Chaired by Professor LI Dewei (Beijing Jiaotong University), the AUHSR plenary gathered UIC members and academic experts to discuss ongoing collaborations and priorities for 2026.
Two keynote speeches highlighted the diversity of academic contributions:- Federico Antoniazzi (École des Ponts ParisTech) presented a comparative study on high-speed rail competition in Italy, Spain and France. Italy emerged as a model of successful market liberalisation, while France remains constrained by high access charges and a radial network structure.
- Luis Delgado (University of Westminster) presented tools developed under the European project MultiModX (multimodx.eu), aimed at assessing the performance of multimodal air–rail networks from technical, economic and resilience perspectives.
Highlights from the session also included: the presentation of the outcomes by Professor Francesca Pagliara of the 5th International Symposium on the Socio-Economic Impacts of High-Speed Rail, held in Naples in September 2025; and the presentation of the upcoming project that will be developed over the next three years by ICHSC members with the support of AUHSR members.
- High-Speed IRS Working Group meeting (HS-IRS)
Chaired by Professors Eduardo Romo (FCH) and Huo Baoshi (China Railway), this technical session brought together international experts to advance the development of International Railway Solutions (IRS) for high-speed systems.
The Working Group has now finalised IRS 70734 – “Adaptation of Safety Installations to High-Speed Requirements” and launched the update of IRS 60673 – “Implementation of High-Speed Railway (Design Phase)”.
With 14 IRS documents now available, the Working Group continues to provide comprehensive guidelines covering the entire high-speed rail lifecycle, from planning to operations.
- REX for the 12th UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail (UIC WCHSR 2025)
Chaired by Bertrand Minary (UIC Passenger Director) and Michele Gesualdi (UIC High-Speed Rail Advisor), this session brought together the members of the Organising and Scientific Committees who contributed to the success of the 12th UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail, held in Beijing from 8 to 11 July 2025.
The Congress, organised in partnership with China State Railway Group (CR) and the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS), welcomed over 2,000 participants from 60+ countries. Under the title “High-Speed Rail: Innovation and Development for a Better Life,” the event demonstrated how high-speed rail has entered a new phase, playing a vital role in shaping sustainable, inclusive and interconnected societies. The organising committee also noted the presence of high-profile figures at the congress, such as 6 ministerial-level leaders, 29 deputy ministerial-level leaders and 97 department/bureau-level leaders. 29 senior executives from railway companies worldwide were also present.
The committees also discussed the outcomes of the 2025 Congress and laid the groundwork for the next edition.
The two-day event concluded with closing remarks from Michele Gesualdi and Bertrand Minary, who warmly thanked all participants for their active contribution and invited members to the next series of conferences in 2026.
To learn more about UIC high-speed rail projects, please visit:
- uic.org/passenger/highspeed
- uic.org/projects
