European Rail interoperability expert Hit Rail B.V. has achieved a major milestone in its history as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. The occasion was marked with a workshop and dinner held at the National Railway Museum in York in the UK and attended by senior representatives of many European railway undertakings (RUs) and infrastructure managers (IMs).
The workshop not only covered the history of the last 25 years but also looked forward to the fully interoperable railway of the future and the changes and benefits that could be delivered in a railway that becomes fully digital. Workshop participants were able to ask an expert panel questions and later enjoyed a dinner in the National Railway Museum surrounded by many of the iconic trains from yesteryear. A guided tour of the delights of the historic city of York was arranged to culminate the event.
Hit Rail was founded in 1990 in response to the need for renewal of the Hermes network connecting 11 of Europe’s railways. Originally formed to provide a coordinated and professionally managed International railway data communications network. Its role has developed over the years to encompass and support the new trends in IT and technology. These include the IP/VPN revolution, structural changes within the railway and transport industries in Europe and the growing requirements of the European Union for interoperability.
During the workshop a keynote speech was given by Patrick Bossert, transformation director of the Digital Railway programme, funded by GB's Network Rail. Talking about the future of the rail industry and the importance of IT initiatives in accelerating the drive towards modernisation, Patrick Bossert said, “Across Europe we see the potential for digital technology to enable more trains, better connections and greater convenience for passengers. It's about making more effective use of what we have today, rather than building new - we have the potential to realise up to 40 percent more capacity from our existing rail networks. Achieving this, however, isn't easy. It needs interoperability, and it needs the ability to migrate easily from the old 'proprietary' world of systems and data to the new.”
“Our aim is to provide affordable solutions to the railway community,” explains Antonio Lopez, Hit Rail’s managing director. “We have a vast experience in railway interoperability issues and have developed international expertise and prestige in complex Pan-European projects, providing an environment open to all railway players.”
“After 25 years we are still only just beginning,” says Helmut Grohmann, Hit Rail’s chairman. “We are still full of ideas and, with the many long-term and new relationships we have formed and our continuously growing customer base, the future still looks extremely bright for Hit Rail and our Hermes Ecosystem.
