FRANCE: TGV services to smaller cities will keep depending on SNCF’s internal cross-subsidy for at least another three to five years. The government has published the Bussereau review of how to pay for loss-making high-speed routes in an opening market — and kept only its mildest levers, leaving the question of long-term financing open until the 2030s.

The review comes from former transport minister Dominique Bussereau, commissioned in February to design a new financing model for the loss-making services. Its conclusions have been published together with the government’s response, as input to the transport framework law currently before parliament.

France counts 180 domestic TGV destinations, and a share of them survive because SNCF covers their deficit with margins from its strongest routes. The review notes that this imbalance predates competition — but open access makes the internal cross-subsidy more fragile and easier to contest, with Trenitalia France already on the profitable axes and Velvet planning a 2028 launch on the Atlantic corridor.

What the review proposes

The review sets out three near-term levers to keep the fragile routes running: performance gains, dedicated instruments in framework agreements, and modulation of the track access charges paid by operators.

A fourth lever is reserved for the longer term. Once competition is fully established, the review points to either a cross-operator equalisation fund or contractual arrangements with regional and local authorities — either of which would replace a mechanism that today lives entirely inside SNCF’s accounts.

The government takes the soft options

The government’s response keeps only the near-term levers: three to five years of stabilisation, with further work on performance gains and incentive mechanisms. The government notes that these preserve SNCF Réseau’s revenues.

Reflection on long-term financing continues towards the 2030s. The equalisation fund and contractual arrangements remain options for that later stage.

A question the state can no longer avoid

The Senate warned in May that the internal cross-subsidy is not tenable in an open market, and that taxpayers risk picking up the bill for the thin routes.

Italy, by contrast, keeps its commercial high-speed services and its subsidised regional connections structurally separate. In France, territorial coverage is financed inside the commercial TGV system itself.

That is why the question now sits on the government’s table — and the government’s answer is to leave the model in place while it still holds.

Founded in 2022, Ostakon develops decentralised networks for tamper-proof data exchange between companies. According to its LinkedIn profile, Ostakon has between two and ten employees.

The company’s stated aim is to bridge the isolated IT systems that hold process and supply chain data in industrial operations.

Products

The Industry Chain consolidates information from separate systems into a shared, traceable process record. Data Exchange provides protected data rooms for sharing information with partners, suppliers and customers, while the Performance Optimizer applies AI to process optimisation.

In the railway sector, Ostakon supports the monitoring and documentation of Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM) process chains, from fault report to return to service. Internet of Things (IoT) and sensor data can be transmitted in real time and shared flexibly with partners.

Ostakon is also an IBM Business Partner, reseller and implementation partner for Maximo asset management solutions.

Research and market activity

Ostakon took part in the completed mFund research project DigiOnTrack, which explored sensor technology, artificial intelligence and shared data use to future-proof regional passenger rail services. Within the consortium, led by Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt, Ostakon was responsible for secure data transmission between the project partners, including 5Micron and Deutsche Eisenbahn Service AG.

The company frames this cross-company data sharing as a building block of digital freight management, where operational data moves between wagon keepers, workshops and operators.

The company exhibited at InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin and presented its ECM process chain at the Railway Forum 2025. At the Hannover Messe 2026, it presented its blockchain platform ICO — Industry Chain & Operation — among the Young Innovators, positioning itself in the data layer of European freight technology.

ostakon.de

Founded in 2013, catkin is led by Christian Krüger, one of its managing directors. Its platforms connect customers, service providers and mobile staff around transport orders — digital freight management that works across company boundaries.

The company holds a patent on its communication platform and the generic application programming interface behind it. According to its LinkedIn profile, catkin has between 11 and 50 employees.

Product portfolio

cTRANS is a cloud-based freight forwarding system connecting dispatchers, drivers, customers and service providers around live order data. cOPERATOR is the company’s dedicated platform for combined transport, used to plan and manage a network of partners such as railways, trucking companies and terminals.

LocoPlan combines an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for railway undertakings with visual planning of locomotive availability and utilisation. cSTAFF handles time recording and task management for mobile employees.

The Bahn Baustellen Manager (BBM) centralises and prepares construction site notifications from the German rail network, giving railway undertakings a structured view for operational planning.

Research activity

catkin participates in national and international research projects, contributing platform and interface development. These include the publicly funded ProMI project on estimated time of arrival (ETA) management in intermodal transport and the OKTOPUS project on optimising logistics and scheduling processes in the maritime-based transport chain for steel logistics, using machine learning.

Market position

Customers include combined transport operators, terminal operators and logistics companies handling order flows across the fragmented actor landscape of European freight technology. The platforms are configurable and connect to existing corporate IT through standard interfaces.

catkin.eu

The company was founded in Brussels in 2003. It began as an IT solutions provider for the logistics sector and developed its own telematics hardware and software from there.

Technology for unpowered assets

Ubidata’s telematics devices are designed for assets without their own power supply, such as freight wagons, trailers and swap bodies. The devices capture and transmit location and sensor data over mobile networks, running for extended periods on battery power without an external power supply.

A data platform converts input from the devices and from third-party sources into operational information and statistics. The platform integrates with customers’ transport management systems.

Rail applications

For rail, the system provides wagon geolocation, mileage data and support for maintenance planning as part of a wider cargo tracking and telematics offering. Wagon movements are monitored against trip plans, flagging emerging deviations from schedule.

Deployments include intermodal operator Samskip, which uses the system for wagon and container tracking, and CFL Cargo. For voestalpine Railpro, Ubidata developed a positioning and measurement system supporting a dust-free ballast train.

Market focus

Beyond rail, Ubidata works in food, pharmaceutical and goods distribution logistics, including temperature and cold chain telematics. The multimodal scope covers road, rail and combined transport within European freight technology.

In October 2015, the company closed a capital round with participation from Qbic Venture Partners, stated at the time as aimed at expanding its wagon and trailer telematics business across Europe.

ubidata.com

IMT was founded in October 2013 to provide telematics for the intermodal transport market. The company develops its sensors and software in-house and serves tank operators, manufacturers, leasing companies and cargo owners.

According to the company, a software subsidiary in Spain maintains an ISO 27001-certified information security management system for the platform.

Sensors and platform

The system architecture combines a communication and location terminal with wireless sensors attached to the tank or wagon. The terminal registers position and motion, collects data from the attached sensors and transmits it to the cloud-based IMT Platform.

The platform is accessed through web and mobile applications and offers an application programming interface (API) for integration into transport management systems. IMT’s sensors carry ATEX Zone 1 certification, allowing operation in potentially explosive atmospheres — a requirement for hazardous cargo.

Remote monitoring and control of heating and cooling equipment forms part of the portfolio for temperature-controlled tank transport.

Market position

IMT built its position in cargo tracking and telematics for tank containers before extending the same technology to rail tank wagons. In 2022, Hitachi Rail agreed an exclusive long-term partnership adding IMT’s monitoring sensors to its digital freight service.

Wabtec distribution agreement

In July 2025, Wabtec and IMT widened an existing distribution agreement so that it now also covers the European market. Under the deal, Wabtec became IMT’s sole distributor for railcar telematics across Europe’s largest freight markets.

The agreement pairs IMT’s sensor technology with Wabtec’s market presence, extending the company’s reach in European freight technology under the Wabtec brand.

intermodaltelematics.com

The company belongs to the PJM group, founded in 2006 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Graz. The group has since grown into several operating companies covering different parts of the rail vehicle lifecycle; PJ Monitoring took over the digital freight business under CEO Günter Petschnig, while sister company PJ Messtechnik operates as an accredited test centre for rail vehicle approval.

According to the company, around 90 people work at the Graz site, with research, development, production and administration all based there.

The WaggonTracker system

WaggonTracker is an onboard system that combines cargo tracking and telematics with automated wagon functions. It records position, load weight, brake status and other component data in real time.

The system includes an automatic brake test, replacing the manual walk-along procedure in train preparation. Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport (FOT) granted the test type approval for SBB Cargo after a positive assessment by TÜV Süd. Data is delivered through a web portal and an application programming interface (API) for integration into customer systems.

Market position

Wagon keepers and leasing companies form the core customer base. VTG offers PJM’s automatic brake testing system as a project-related equipment option on its fleet, and GATX Rail Europe entered a partnership with PJM in 2024 to broaden its telematics sensor portfolio.

PJM states that it has completed projects in 30 countries on six continents. The company positions WaggonTracker within the wider shift in European freight technology towards automated train preparation and digital automatic coupling.

Recent developments

In 2026, PJM commissioned a dedicated production hall at its Graz headquarters to increase WaggonTracker output. Each unit receives a digital production record and must complete a 48-hour final test simulating real operating conditions before installation on a wagon.

The previous production area now houses development and prototyping, and the company has expanded its software and safety development teams.

pjm.co.at

The company was founded on 1 May 1946 by Kurt Hübner as a repair shop for rubber goods and remains family-owned. It employs approximately 3,500 people at more than 25 locations across four continents.

With Nora Oberländer joining the General Management in March 2025, the third generation of the founding family is represented in the company’s leadership. The group’s rail history reaches back to 1951, when it produced its first folding bellows for Deutsche Bundesbahn railway cars.

Products and systems

The rail portfolio is centred on gangways and inter-car connections: bellows, gangway systems, and open gangway designs that let passengers move freely between cars. High-speed gangways have been part of the programme since 1989, when Hübner developed systems for the Intercity Express in Germany.

Beyond gangways, the group supplies elastomer seals, chassis and bogie technology through Hemscheidt Rail, and articulation systems through its subsidiary ATG Autotechnik, acquired in 2018. The materials division draws on more than 600 rubber compound recipes, according to the company.

Market position

Hübner supplies gangway systems for buses and rail vehicles worldwide. Within passenger systems and interiors, its open gangway designs shape both capacity and passenger flow — in New York, the group supplied open gangways for Kawasaki-built R211T subway cars that entered service on the C line.

At InnoTrans 2024, the group presented its AutoCouple concept for fully automated coupling and uncoupling of inter-car gangways.

Recent developments

The group marked its 80th anniversary in May 2026. In mid-2026, it sold its on-board electronics subsidiary Gersys to the Czech supplier Amit Transportation, sharpening the focus of the Mobility Rail division on its core gangway and systems business.

hubner-group.com

The company was founded in 1989 and has around 65 employees. Its headquarters, development centre, and production facilities are located in Siek, with an additional site in Trittau, both in the Hamburg metropolitan area.

ATG has been part of the Hübner Group since 2018 and operates as a distinct supplier within the group. Since its founding, the company has delivered approximately 13,000 bus articulations and 3,000 tram articulations, according to the parent group.

Products and systems

ATG supplies complete gangways and inter-car connections as well as the individual components they are built from: articulated joints, platforms, cable guides, and centre hoops with bellows. The articulation carries the mechanical connection between vehicle sections, while the gangway encloses the passage for passengers.

Solutions are engineered per project rather than sold as a fixed catalogue, from single components to full gangway systems. The same articulation principles are applied across buses, trams, trains, and special-purpose vehicles.

Market position

ATG supplies bus and rail vehicle manufacturers worldwide from its German production base. Within passenger systems and interiors, the gangway is the component that turns separate vehicle sections into one continuous passenger space, and ATG occupies this niche alongside its parent group’s own gangway business.

Recent developments

In 2025, Tobias Windrich took over as General Manager of ATG Autotechnik, joining Uwe Bittroff in the management. He had worked in the Hübner Group since 2019 before moving to the subsidiary.

articulated-bus.com

The parent group was founded in 1946 as a manufacturer of professional radio systems and today operates four business units. Belgian investment company Gimv acquired a stake in the group in 2020.

Televic Rail designs, produces, and maintains its systems in-house, and its technology is installed on more than 65,000 vehicles worldwide, according to the company. Alongside the Izegem headquarters, the rail division operates Televic GSP in Berlin, built on the 2019 acquisition of GSP Sprachtechnologie.

Products and systems

The core of the portfolio is passenger information: real-time journey information on interior and exterior displays, public address, automatic announcements, and passenger emergency communication linked to the driver or a wayside control centre. The LiveCoM Suite platform integrates real-time data from multiple sources for distribution across the fleet.

Within CCTV and security systems, Televic supplies a digital on-board video management system for vehicle types from trams to high-speed trains. The network video recorders are developed and produced in-house on a modular platform, which the company uses to manage obsolescence and life-cycle costs internally.

The CCTV system integrates with the passenger information system, so a passenger alarm can locate the emergency, show live footage to the driver, tag video for retention, or transmit images to a wayside control centre. Machine learning functions interpret video in real time for crowding, left objects, and fire or smoke detection.

Market position

Televic Rail supplies train builders and operators, with references including Eurostar, and positions its portfolio across much of the passenger systems and interiors layer of the vehicle. A joint venture in Delhi produces passenger information systems for the Indian and Asian markets.

Certifications cover welding to EN 15085, bonding to EN 17460, software development to EN 50716, and TSI conformity for persons with reduced mobility (PRM) for interoperability constituents such as the passenger intercom unit.

Recent developments

In December 2025, Televic Rail achieved IEC 62443-4-1 certification, covering the secure development life cycle of its products. In 2024, the company entered a partnership with NannyML to develop AI-based sensor monitoring.

televic.com

The company was founded in Hamburg in 1919 and remains family-managed, with Ronald and Tanja Hoppmann as managing directors. The WISKA Group employs over 300 people worldwide, more than 250 of them in Germany, according to the company.

Products

Within CCTV and security systems, WISKA develops and produces network cameras in fixed and pan-tilt-zoom configurations, including stainless-steel and explosion-protected variants for shipbuilding and industrial environments. Development and production take place at the Kaltenkirchen headquarters.

For rail specifically, WISKA supplies a railway cable gland series tested to the European fire protection standard EN 45545. The series meets Hazard Level 3 material requirements, with materials tested to EN 45545-2 and fire resistance to EN 45545-3 at the accredited laboratories Currenta and MPA (Materialprüfungsanstalt).

Market position

WISKA sells through a global network of subsidiaries and representatives, with development, production, sales and logistics controlled centrally from Kaltenkirchen. Certifications include ISO 9001 quality management, ISO 14001 environmental management and ATEX approvals for explosion-protected equipment.

The company’s customer base spans the electrical trade, industry and shipbuilding, alongside transport engineering.

Current activity

WISKA exhibited at Asia Pacific Rail in Bangkok in May 2026 and is registered for InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, 22–25 September, in Hall 12. Its most recent product launch is the Brace cable protection system, built around the non-metallic BraceFITTING developed and produced in Kaltenkirchen.

wiska.com

The company was founded in 2017. It originated in aviation in-flight entertainment and brought its platform architecture into rail in 2019.

Platform and products

railSTACK is a cloud-edge software platform hosted on onboard servers, used to deploy, operate and monitor passenger-facing applications across a fleet. It is hardware-independent and connects onboard and landside systems through open interfaces.

paxCMS, an application running on railSTACK, is the company’s editing tool for passenger information systems content. Operators design and update information, infotainment and service logic centrally, and distribute it to onboard displays, station signage and smartphones.

Market position

The company lists ÖBB, Berlin operator BVG, South Tyrol’s STA, private operator ODEG and Deutsche Bahn’s Ideenzug project among its references. According to the company, its approach combines all passenger-facing functions into a single software service running on shared onboard hardware.

In 2023, PaxLife Innovations and Swiss integrator onway won an STA tender to deliver onboard infotainment for regional trains in South Tyrol, with railSTACK hosted redundantly on the trains’ multimedia servers.

The company has participated in EU-funded research, including the 5G-VICTORI project on media delivery to passenger devices over 5G, trialled with operator ODEG and broadcaster Deutschlandradio.

Current activity

PaxLife Innovations is registered for InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, 22–25 September, presenting railSTACK as a multi-channel passenger information platform. The company also lists Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 in Barcelona on its event calendar.

paxlife.aero

The company was founded in 1993. Its transport business runs under the DENEVA product brand, which the company also uses as its market-facing name in the rail sector.

Products and platform

DENEVA.transit is a content management system for passenger information systems in stations and on board vehicles. It centrally manages networks of displays and presents real-time arrivals, departures and disruption information drawn from multiple data sources.

The platform is hardware-independent, allowing operators to combine displays from different manufacturers under a single management layer. An accessibility function integrates NaviLens codes, which transcribe on-screen information into audio for visually impaired passengers via a mobile application.

Market position

The company says DENEVA runs at most of Spain’s high-speed stations. Installations include stations such as Barcelona Sants, Madrid Atocha and València Estació del Nord, alongside deployments at Madrid Metro and Basque operator Euskotren.

In 2022, the company was contracted to manage Renfe’s digital information system. Its move from station signage into onboard passenger systems has extended the same platform to vehicles, including infotainment.

Outside Spain, ICON Multimedia was selected in 2024 to deliver DENEVA on the Green Line of the Tel Aviv light rail in cooperation with Alstom. The company has also supplied metro projects in Medellín and Santiago de Chile from its Latin American base in Mexico City.

Current activity

DENEVA exhibited at Rail Live 2025 in Madrid in November 2025, presenting its passenger information and digital signage portfolio. The company is registered for InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, 22–25 September.

iconmm.com

The company was founded in 1908 and remains family-owned. HIMA Group employs around 1,100 people across 22 group companies worldwide, according to the company.

Products for rail

HIMA’s rail offering is built on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) safety controllers, principally the modular HIMax and the compact HIMatrix. Both carry CENELEC SIL 4 approval and meet the shock and vibration requirements of EN 61373.

The controllers originate in the process industry, where they run in large installed volumes. In rail, the same standard components are configured for applications such as electronic interlockings, level crossings, depot control and onboard safety functions.

This positions HIMA within SIL-certified safety systems as a platform supplier: system integrators, vehicle builders and operators implement their own safety applications on HIMA hardware rather than buying finished signalling products.

Market position

HIMA operates regional centres in the Netherlands, the UK, Norway, Singapore, Australia, China, the United Arab Emirates and the USA. In February 2023, the group acquired the UK system integrator Sella Controls, based in Stockport, strengthening its rail business in the UK and Ireland.

HIMA’s hardware sits on the functional safety side of fire safety and noise control, alongside fire protection and acoustic products in vehicle and infrastructure equipment.

Current activity

At InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin, HIMA demonstrated a SIL 4 electronic interlocking for a fully controlled and signalled depot, based on its open safety platform.

In October 2025, HIMA and the display manufacturer Deuta-Werke jointly launched SafeHMI, a safety-related visualisation solution combining HIMA’s safety systems with Deuta’s IconTrust display technology, certified to SIL 3 under IEC 61508.

hima.com

The company was founded in 1905 as Deutsche Tachometer Werke, initially producing eddy-current speedometers for automobiles. Today its core business is rail, with development and production concentrated at the Bergisch Gladbach site and a workforce of around 300, according to the company.

Products

Deuta-Werke’s sensor range covers three measuring principles: Doppler radar sensors, pick-up sensors and axle-mounted sensors. The DRS05 Doppler radar is used in odometry for European Train Control System (ETCS) applications, where speed and distance must be determined at Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 4.

The display line consists of multifunctional terminals and indicating units for the driver’s cab. The patented IconTrust and SelectTrust functions monitor safety-relevant display content up to SIL 3 and valid touch-panel input areas up to SIL 2, in line with the requirements of Subset-091.

The REDBOX family of driving data recorders completes the portfolio, combining travel data recording with web-based access to recorder status and stored data.

Market position

The Bergisch Gladbach site covers hardware and software design through to board assembly. The company states that it supplies rail markets in 40 countries.

Its terminals and odometry products place Deuta-Werke within the field of SIL-certified safety systems for rolling stock. Functional safety, fire protection and acoustics are grouped under fire safety and noise control in vehicle equipment. Certification and approval support across the product life cycle, including obsolescence management, is part of the offering.

Current activity

Deuta-Werke has developed a head-up display for rail vehicles, projecting driving information onto a combiner display in front of the windscreen with IconTrust safety up to SIL 2.

In October 2025, Deuta-Werke and the safety automation supplier HIMA jointly launched SafeHMI, a solution combining HIMA safety controllers with a safety-related human-machine interface panel based on Deuta’s IconTrust technology, with display content certified to SIL 3 under IEC 61508.

deuta.com

The company was founded in 1969 as a subsidiary of the textile firm Getzner, Mutter & Cie and has developed and produced foamed polyurethane elastomers in Bürs since the 1970s. It employs around 500 people and reported a turnover of EUR 148.8 million for 2025, according to the company.

Materials and rail products

Getzner’s portfolio is built on its own elastomer families: Sylomer, Sylodyn, Sylodamp and the recycled-polyurethane material Relomer. The materials are produced in Bürs and engineered in different stiffness grades for specific load cases.

In rail, these materials become elastic components for noise and vibration damping in the track: under-sleeper pads, under-ballast mats, rail pads and baseplate pads, and bearings for mass-spring systems. The components add defined elasticity to the superstructure, reducing the transmission of structure-borne noise and vibration to surrounding buildings.

The same logic addresses wear. Elastic support of sleepers and ballast reduces load peaks in the track, which the company links to longer component life and lower maintenance costs.

Market position

Getzner supplies main lines, high-speed lines, metros and tramways, addressing the noise and vibration side of fire safety and noise control in the railway system. Alongside Bürs and its German offices, the company operates sites in Australia, Brazil, China, France, India, Japan and the USA, with distribution partners in further markets. A production facility in Baramati, India, opened in 2026.

In January 2024, Getzner Werkstoffe Holding acquired 50 per cent of the shares in Isolgomma, an Italian manufacturer of acoustic products based on recycled rubber. The move extends Getzner’s position in recycled materials for sound insulation and vibration control.

Current activity

Getzner exhibited at InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin with two stands, covering track superstructure solutions and interior applications for rolling stock. Recycled-material products were shown at the fair for the first time.

The company has confirmed its participation at InnoTrans 2026 under the theme “Beyond Track Protection”, presenting vibration protection as an interaction between rail, sleeper, ballast, subgrade and rolling stock rather than as isolated measures in the track.

getzner.com

The company was founded in 1972 in Vicenza by Bruno Grazioli, who developed recycled rubber products for the construction industry. Since January 2024, Austrian vibration-control specialist Getzner Werkstoffe has held a 50 per cent stake in Isolgomma.

Production is based on fibres and granules of recycled styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, with a recycled material share of over 90 per cent according to the company.

Rail is one of three core sectors alongside construction and industry, and the company’s track products address noise control at its source: the wheel–rail contact.

Products and systems

The rail portfolio covers the main resilient elements used in noise and vibration damping of track systems. MATRACK anti-vibration mats are installed as under-ballast mats (UBM) or under-slab mats (USM) to isolate the track foundation.

SLITRACK under-sleeper pads are applied to the resting surface of sleepers on ballasted track and reinforced concrete slabs, reducing vibration while protecting the ballast and extending its service life. PROTRACK rubber rail profiles are supplied as lateral profiles for conventional fastened track and as embedded profiles that enclose the rail in tram and metro systems, combining vibration damping with electrical insulation against stray currents.

Market position

Isolgomma is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and operates an in-house acoustics laboratory developed with the Department of Technical Physics at the University of Padua. A research centre in Pozzuoli near Naples is dedicated to the rail and tramway sector, in collaboration with the University of Naples.

The products are used on conventional and high-speed lines as well as tram and metro networks, with projects in Italy and abroad, including urban areas located near underground lines.

Current activity

According to the company, its project references include supplying under-ballast mats for the new Brescia–Verona–Padua high-speed/high-capacity line in northern Italy, alongside ongoing tramway renovation and reconstruction works across several networks.

isolgomma.com

The subsidiary was founded in 2016 to bundle the group’s rail activities, which date back to a locomotive project in 1994. According to the company, the parent WAGNER Group employs around 800 people at 25 locations in 15 countries.

The group’s core business is technical fire protection, spanning detection, prevention, extinguishing and hazard management — the full fire safety chain.

Products and systems

WAGNER Rail combines fire detection with fire suppression systems tailored to rolling stock. Detection is based on air sampling smoke detection from the TITANUS product family, which the company says is resistant to nuisance alarms.

For firefighting, the portfolio covers water mist systems for passenger areas and gas or aerosol extinguishing systems for technical areas. The technology can run as a standalone system with direct connection to the Train Control and Management System (TCMS), or as an integrated system with a fire alarm control panel and software interface to the TCMS.

Hardware is certified to Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2) in accordance with EN 50129, and software can be certified up to SIL2 in accordance with EN 50128.

Market position

Reference projects named by the company include the metros of Munich, Newcastle and Kuala Lumpur, the Siemens Velaro Eurostar and Desiro fleets, SBB double-deck trains, and Stadler electric multiple units in Switzerland and other European countries.

The customer base spans vehicle builders and operators across locomotives, multiple units, metros, trams and passenger coaches.

Current activity

In 2026, WAGNER Rail launched Water Mist Compact, a water mist suppression system for passenger areas such as standard and sleeper cars, intended for both new installations and retrofitting.

At TRAKO 2025 in Gdańsk, WAGNER Rail exhibited together with WAGNER Poland to strengthen local project support in the Polish rail market.

rail.wagnergroup.com

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Linz-based HAINZL group and has developed high-pressure water mist technology since 1993. It is managed by Josef Hainzl.

Water mist extinguishes by discharging water through specially designed nozzles at high pressure, producing a fine mist that cools the fire and suppresses smoke — properties that have made the technology a fixture in rail fire safety.

Products and systems

For rolling stock, AQUASYS delivers fire suppression systems for passenger compartments, locomotives and railway construction machinery. Stainless steel nozzles are designed to integrate into train interiors, and an extensive nozzle programme adapts to different installation situations.

The systems operate independently of the vehicle’s power supply: on activation, compressed nitrogen drives the extinguishing water from cylinders into the pipe network and nozzles. For electrical hazard areas, aerosol extinguishing is available alongside water mist.

Market position

According to the company, its rail systems hold UNI 11565 approval following fire tests conducted in Austria and Italy in accordance with UNI 11565 and ARGE Part II, covering both passenger and technical areas, and it is recognised by VdS as a fire protection system installer.

In the UK, the company equipped 33 Hitachi Class 810 Aurora bi-mode trains for operator East Midlands Railway with water mist protection for the engine compartments, delivered together with the Italian partner I.S.E. Ingegneria dei Sistemi.

Current activity

AQUASYS has supplied the water mist fire suppression system for the 32.9 km Koralmtunnel on the ÖBB network, protecting the evacuation areas near the middle of the tunnel. Tests at the high-voltage laboratory of Graz University of Technology demonstrated safe system operation at voltages of up to 65 kV.

aquasys.at

The owner-managed company was founded in 1997 and develops, produces and markets fixed and mobile fire protection systems. Its employees come from 16 countries and are based at six sites.

Rail Systems is one of several business divisions alongside tunnel systems and fixed installations for buildings and industry, placing rolling stock within the company’s wider fire safety portfolio.

Products and systems

FOGTEC supplies combined fire detection and fire suppression systems designed specifically for the rail vehicle environment. High-pressure water mist is used in passenger compartments, while nitrogen gas and aerosol systems protect technical areas and engine compartments.

The current FOGTEC 5000 series covers detection and firefighting in a modular platform certified by TÜV Nord as a generic system. Solutions are available up to Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2) in accordance with EN 50129, with testing to the ARGE fire protection guideline and applicable UNI standards.

The series uses a revised nitrogen release concept, which the company says reduces the water and nitrogen quantities required, cutting weight and installation space. Multi-cylinder modules with redundant activation are part of the platform.

Market position

The company holds IRIS certification based on ISO/TS 22163. According to the company, more than 25,000 systems have been installed in locomotives, high-speed and intercity trains, commuter trains, metros and trams worldwide.

Reference projects include the fire detection and firefighting systems for the Siemens-built new generation ÖBB Railjet and Nightjet coaches, the Metro Los Angeles fleet, and diesel locomotives for the American manufacturer Progress Rail. FOGTEC has also equipped hydrogen trains built by Stadler with a SIL2 system including hydrogen flame detectors.

A network of more than 50 system partners supports installation and maintenance internationally.

Current activity

At InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin, FOGTEC presented fire prevention modules with composite pressure containers to reduce weight.

The company led the SUVEREN research projects on detection and suppression of lithium-ion battery fires, conducted with the University of Wuppertal and Fraunhofer, and continues follow-up research on battery risks in rail and depot applications.

fogtec-international.com

SMART Railway Technology GmbH is headquartered in Kassel and employs more than 160 people, according to the company. Power-electronic development has run at the site for more than 30 years.

The business was formerly part of the SMA group and is today a subsidiary of Beijing Dinghan Technology Group, a Chinese rail technology company.

Products

The core portfolio is auxiliary power converters for rolling stock — from single devices such as battery chargers and air-conditioning inverters to complete auxiliary converters for coaches and multiple units. The company states its systems run on more than 7,000 rail vehicles worldwide, from the São Paulo metro to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

PV2Rail and the trackside grid

In January 2024 the company added PV2Rail to its portfolio: a photovoltaic inverter with a rated output of 100 kVA that feeds directly into the 16.7 Hz traction power network. Solar installations along the line can thereby supply traction power without the detour via the conventional three-phase 50 Hz grid.

The product moves the company from the vehicle into trackside power supply and electrification. Direct feed-in of fluctuating solar power also ties into the wider question of energy storage for infrastructure, where buffering is needed to match generation to traction demand.

Current activity

According to the company, Swiss Federal Railways has ordered PV2Rail inverters for photovoltaic installations in several cantons. The auxiliary converter business continues as the main line of activity from the Kassel site.

smart-railway.de