1. What is SHIFT²RAIL?
An ambitious large-scale, industrially driven and multiannual research
programme that aims at helping EU rail industry maintain world leadership.
SHIFT²RAIL is the first European initiative to seek focused Research and Innovation (R&I) and
market-driven solutions by accelerating the integration of new and advanced technologies into
innovative rail product solutions, matching key objectives of the EU 2011 White Paper on Transport
and the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon2020.
SHIFT²RAIL is an unprecedented joint effort by the European Rail Industry to massively enhance the
capacity of the European rail system in order to cope with increased passenger and freight demand as
a result of societal pressures in support of green transport and elicit a step-change in the reliability of
next generation products and solutions while reducing their life cycle costs. It aims to attract
passengers and businesses to rail transport and increase the competitiveness of the European rail
industry vis-à-vis emerging Asian competition. Other rail stakeholders, Infrastructure managers, and
Railway Undertakings have also identified their strong interest in the SHIFT²RAIL initiative.
SHIFT²RAIL is one coherent and flexible research instrument managed in a Joint Undertaking within
Horizon2020. A dedicated overall budget is estimated between 800 million and 1 billion Euros over a six
to seven year period – co-financed by the private sector and the European Commission.
A Holistic, Sector-Wide Approach to Achieve Ambitious Targets
The SHIFT²RAIL initiative will focus on efficiently developing solutions for three innovation targets that
impact every segment of the rail market.
1. Enhancing the CAPACITY / user demand of the European rail system
• SHIFT²RAIL aims at an estimated overall increase in capacity by up to 100%
• SHIFT²RAIL aims at increasing user demand
2. Consolidating the RELIABILITY / quality of service of the European rail system
• SHIFT²RAIL aims at an estimated overall increase in reliability by up to 50%
• SHIFT²RAIL aims at increasing user satisfaction
3. Improving the LIFE CYCLE / competitiveness of the European rail system
• SHIFT²RAIL aims at an estimated overall reduction of Life Cycle Costs by up to 50%
• SHIFT²RAIL will help the European rail manufacturing industry to, at least, keep its market share
against increasing business competition in a growing market
2. Why launching a large-scale EU research initiative?
The European Rail Industry is teaming up to support the objectives/vision of the White Paper, enabling the
Single Railway Area and taking into account the 4th Railway Package, Horizon 2020, STTP, the ERRAC
Roadmaps and Member States’ Rail Policies.
The companies supporting SHIFT²RAIL consider that for rail research in Europe, keeping to the status quo
is not an option. Currently, the European supply industries make up over half of the global market for rail
products. However, this global leadership can only be maintained if a critical mass of committed EU
industry joins forces to develop high-capacity, innovative, and high-quality products. Capitalising on the
rail sector’s previous success in EU-funded collaborative research projects undertaken since the
mid-1990s, ambitious EU goals in transport policy and climate change will be met. SHIFT²RAIL is the
natural evolution of EU industrial research cooperation in Horizon2020.
SHIFT²RAIL will ensure delivery on aforementioned targets with the creation of a rail Joint
Undertaking by:
• Assembling and organising the critical mass necessary for making step-change
innovations for passenger rolling stock, command control and signalling, rail infrastructure,
IT for passenger information and transport management systems, and freight transport
• Preventing fragmentation of industrial R&I efforts and aligning the entire industrial
supply chain
• Providing a platform for smaller companies/institutions to bring their products to the market,
therefore triggering the participation of a greater number of SMEs and Research
Institutes/Academia in EU rail research
• Ramping up R&I investment and strengthening the confidence of potential investors, due
to clarity of funding (named beneficiaries), budgeting and time horizons
• Streamlining the innovation process from research to demonstration and shortening the
time-to-market for key innovations
• Establishing a dedicated administration jointly with the European Commission that will
facilitate efficient planning and budgeting and guaranteeing speedy access to research
funds
• Enabling greater transfer of knowledge from other sectors (aeronautics)
3. What will SHIFT²RAIL deliver?
European rail industry leaders and the broader rail community have established clear research priorities
during a two-year investigation period. The result is a long-term strategic programme built around key
innovations segmented in five Innovation Programs (IPs):
IP1 - Energy & Mass Efficient Technologies for High Capacity Trains
Develop the future generation of trains that will be lighter and more energy
efficient while reducing today’s travel times, track damage and impact on the
environment, resulting in a lower life-cycle cost.
IP2 - Advance Traffic Management & Control Systems
Develop a new generation of signalling and control systems, building on
current ERTMS, to enable intelligent traffic management with automatically
driven trains and optimise capacity, reliability and minimise life-cycle cost.
IP3 - Cost efficient - High Capacity Infrastructure
Deliver a new railway infrastructure system (including both infrastructure and
energy subsystems) that will radically improve capacity and performance
and reduce costs.
IP4 - IT Solutions for a Seamless Attractive Railway
Realise one of the key goals from the White Paper: “By 2020, establish the
framework for a European multimodal transport information, management
and payment system.” Innovative solutions and services will encourage
travellers to shift from individual car transport to public transport.
IP5 - Technologies for Sustainable & Attractive European Freight
Define all technological and process breakthroughs necessary to contribute
to the realisation of one of the key goals from the White Paper: “30% of road
traffic switching to rail and inland waterways by 2030 and 50% by 2050.”
For each Innovation Programme so-called Technology Demonstrators, each addressing specific topics,
have been defined. They will integrate innovative technologies (also coming from other sectors) and
develop prototypes tested in labs to generate future competitive sub-systems. This research activity will
take into account functional and operational specifications, and the interfaces among the various
subsystems.
The new technologies and innovations developed – the Technology Demonstrators – will be showcased
(e.g. assembled, tested, validated) in real (physical) System Platform Demonstrations (SPD) under
different operational conditions. Four System Platform Demonstrations will be developed on HIGH SPEED,
URBAN/SUBURBAN, REGIONAL, and FREIGHT TRAIN platforms.
System Integration
In order to carefully manage the functional interactions of the different layers of the railway systems and
relevant system topics, a System Integration Activity has been built into the programme framework. This
ERRAC
SHIFT²RAIL Strategy Council
SHIFT²RAIL Committees
(Member States, Academia)
European Rail Research
Advisory Council
SHIFT²RAIL Joint Undertaking
JU Members
European Commission
IP1
IP2
IP3
IP4
IP5
Energy & Mass
Efficient
Technologies for
High Capacity
Trains
Advanced Traffic
Management
&
Control Systems
Cost Efficient
High Capacity
Infrastructure
IT Solutions
for a
Seamless
Attractive
Railway
Technologies
for Sustainable
& Attractive
European
Freight
Users input
Users input
Users input
Users input
Users input
Regulation and
Standardisation Council
chaired by the European
Railway Agency
Railway System Integration Activity
with Railway Undertakings
and infrastructure Managers
IP: Innovation Programme
System Management Working Groups
Data
Model
Noise &
Energy
Vibration Efficiency
...
will ensure operational reliability in the overall railway system and will, therefore, involve a wide range
of partners – including the Railway Undertakings, Infrastructure managers, and indirect contributors
to the JTI.
A “Requirements and Implementation Group” will be established for each IP and will specify the
operational and maintenance user needs. In addition, dedicated “System Management Working Groups”
will handle system aspects such as Traffic/Data Management, Diagnostic, Environment aspects as Noise
and Vibration mitigation measures, EMC/interference and Energy Management.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) applicable to each of the overall SHIFT²RAIL targets (increased
capacity and reliability and reduction of life cycle costs) have been identified for each innovation in the five
IPs to quantify and track progress over time at the system level.
4. Who supports SHIFT²RAIL and when will it start?
Fifteen major rail stakeholders are currently signatories to the SHIFT²RAIL Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU), with UNIFE as coordinator, thereby committing to a long-term investment in the future of European
rail research. This commitment includes the future exploitation of results and financial contribution to the
Joint Undertaking, and will justify the awarding of EU funds for the IPs research and demonstration
activities to Named Beneficiaries.
In addition, other leading infrastructure managers and railway undertakings (ADIF, FS and SNCF) and new
industrial partners (Acciona, Amadeus Rail, AZD, Indra, MERMEC, Oltis, Selex and Tata Steel) have already
officially joined the initiative. Many other companies have also expressed interest in joining.
A quarter of the SHIFT²RAIL budget will be managed through open calls for proposal, encouraging the
participation of SMEs, transport research institutes, and academia who will collaborate with those
signatory companies that are best placed to facilitate the take-up of results.
The SHIFT²RAIL signatories have developed this sound research programme on which to build
tomorrow’s railways and are requesting the support of the European Commission and the approval of the
European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers with the goal of establishing a Joint
Undertaking to begin operations in 2014.
Signatories of the SHIFT²RAIL Memorandum of Understanding
Milestones of the SHIFT²RAIL Initiative
2009: UNIFE assembles rail industry leaders to evaluate future R&I investment
2010: Industrial leaders decide for a step change approach in R&I collaboration, increasing their
investment and opting for the creation of a strong Joint Technology Initiative (JTI)
2012 (July): SHIFT²RAIL JTI proposal submitted to the European Commission
2012 (October): UNIFE, as coordinator, receives feedback of European Commission
2013 (January): SHIFT²RAIL Addendum to initial Proposal submitted to the European Commission
2013 (January): Communication from the European Commission accompanying the publication of the
Fourth Railway Package makes explicit reference to SHIFT²RAIL as promoting rail as a transport mode by
enabling step-change innovations in the sector.
2013 (February): Transport Commissioner and Vice President Siim Kallas acknowledges SHIFT²RAIL as a
key step in achieving the transport goals set by the European Commission, declaring at the UNIFE/CER
European
Railway
Awards:
“Work
is
continuing
on
a
joint
industry-Commission
research
platform—SHIFT²RAIL, which will be a key element in driving innovation in the years to come. Many details
have still to be finalised, but I am committed to working with you to deliver this”
2013 (March): The Rail Industry continues to work with the European Commission, European Parliament
and Member States to obtain support to start operations as soon as 2014
Coordinated by: