On 10-13 March 2025, the International Union of Railways held its Sustainability Action Week 2025, drawing attention to the railway sector’s critical role in advancing sustainability goals with great success. The highlight of this year’s programme was the series of technical seminars, where participants had the opportunity to delve into practical solutions and best practices. The seminars provided valuable insight from experts and allowed stakeholders to discuss the practical implementation of sustainable technologies across the global railway network.
Key technical seminars:
1. Noise and vibration
The session took a debate format on “Being a responsible Neighbour” featuring innovative and cost-effective solutions, including for rail roughness, and measuring and reducing noise and vibration emissions. The ACORD project and Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking Project QuieterRail shared outcomes and objectives with the multi-discipline group. Discussions focused on whole-system railway optimisation to mitigate noise and vibration with contributions from acoustic experts, track engineers, and asset managers. Key discussions also included updates from the UICAeroNoise project led by the UIC Track Expert Group. An open-source tool to enhance decision-making processes for shaping the future of railway noise and vibration reduction is also in the works.
2. Energy
The Energy Research and Long-Term Prospects Workshop explored the common priority topic road map for infrastructure as well as rolling stock, including battery technology, partial electrification, efficient and decarbonised tracks operation and maintenance, Smart communications for Efficient Rail Activities (SFERA) Connected Driving Advisory Systems (CDAS) and new digitalisation initiatives and future technologies and concepts features for efficient operations, IM-RU interactions, and the societal benefits of rail(scope 4) within the transport sector.
3. Sustainable tourism
In the Sustainable Tourism Seminar, the first results of the TopRail Future Rail Tourism Survey were presented and it was discussed how rail can contribute to more sustainable tourism and regional development by offering tourist-friendly services, including heritage, coastal, and rural lines, and making rail more bike-friendly. As part of this, experts showcased best practices with a customer-oriented perspective. During the workshops, the VIII CRTS Training 2025, the Tourism-Friendly, and Stations Awards were also presented.
4. Gender equality
The session on “Gender Responsive Solutions for Stations” was the most recent of the UIC TRAIN2BEqual project events, and was hosted by SNCF at Gare Montparnasse. It included a technical visit through the station to observe the gender-responsive measures implemented within the station. Participants highlighted the importance of:
- Having data-driven approaches to address gender-specific mobility needs
- Clear communication and education for training railway staff and informing station users of gender-related topics
- Designing stations that prioritise safety, accessibility, and comfort
- Strengthening collaboration between operators, policymakers, and urban planners to create inclusive transport environments
From station design to services and policies, speakers from across the sector exchanged best practices and concrete solutions to improve gender responsiveness in rail.
5. The tracks of harmony: nature & rail – Sustainable Land Use Day
On this day, more than 60 participants explored key topics, from biodiversity data standardisation to alternative vegetation control, wildlife collisions, and bird protection. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) shared insights on biodiversity criteria for infrastructure funding, while Jernhusen AB and Rail Baltica I RB Rail AS highlighted best practices in this area. Additionally, AtkinsRéalis shared information on the UIC ECOV4R project and its work on ecosystem services.
UIC then shared updates on the EU-RAIL SYMBIOSIS project, outlining progress across key Work Packages and inviting experts to join its stakeholder groups. Highlights included advancements in communication and dissemination, upcoming events and workshops, as well as a review of impact assessment case studies and railway climate adaptation plans. The ongoing biodiversity monitoring survey and the setup of an automated biodiversity data collection tool using train-mounted cameras were also discussed.
Finally, the latest work on sustainable transport’s societal challenges was showcased, including a literature review on sector-specific issues and the initiation of activities on to integrate biodiversity into corporate strategies, procurement processes, and supply chains.
The Austrian Ministry of Climate Action and Environment also outlined how infrastructure can play a role in acheiving the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, with the Rhätische Bahn tackling the challenges of TNFD reporting.
Key takeaways from this session included the fact that:
- Rail infrastructure impacts biodiversity but also offers opportunities for nature to recover
- Experts must speak a common language on biodiversity challenges
- Collaboration is key - working in silos is not an option
6. Transport resilience
Opening presentations set the scene on the critical importance of building resilience in transport systems with an in-depth account of the Valencian flooding disaster and the recovery work by the Spanish railway infrastructure manager ADIF, and a discussion on freight logistics and economics from the University of Gustav Eiffel. The multimodal panel then debated how partnerships can build resilience into transport systems. With perspectives from the land, air, and water sectors, the taskforce on transport resilience agreed on the need to work together to share technical expertise, data, joint simulations, and emergency response coordination to reduce vulnerability.
7. Circular economy
A full house of rail sustainability professionals and supply chain partners attended the 6th installment of the Zero Waste Railways workshop series, this time focusing on “Procurement Best Practices towards Circular and Sustainable Railways”.
Discussions addressed updating environmental specifications for new rolling stock (IRS 3045), to support circular trains, and how industry engagement will be required. Other topics included rolling stock companies that are already pioneering circular practices, sustainable procurement specifications having a positive impact on society in general, and how the 10Rs of Circular Economy are key for driving sustainable procurement.
The presentations on best practices ecompassed how applying environmental costs can lead suppliers to be more innovative in their tendering, and that social adhesion and trust in the reuse of refurbished electronic can be accelerated by using approved labelling (Label RECQ). The afternoon session delved into Digital Product Passports and their role in guaranteeing the trustworthiness and availability of (self-declared) sustainability data.
8. Air quality
This workshop highlighted the challenges and solutions specific to rail regarding air pollution. Through interactive brainstorming, experts from the SNCF Group, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS) and the UIC Air Quality Sector shared their work and analysis. Participants were then invited to discuss the challenges faced in the domain, with the following solutions being suggested for rail:
- Mechanical filterin
- Electrodynamic braking
- Driving Advisory Systems (DAS) & efficient operation
- Steering wheelsets/bogies
A comprehensive list of solutions mentioned by the Air Quality Sector will be included in a forthcoming report.
Collaboration and networking
UIC Sustainability Action Week 2025 provided an opportunity for members to share knowledge, inspire each other, and make joint decisions for the future. The week demonstrated the railway sector’s commitment to leading the charge in sustainability and environmental stewardship. As the event concluded, attendees left with a renewed sense of purpose and collaboration, motivated to continue working towards a greener, more sustainable future for transport.
