Oliver Schuster: Europe Must Pay Its "Infrastructure Debt" to Keep Rail Competitive

Europe’s railways are being asked to do more with less: more traffic, less time for maintenance, and higher expectations on sustainability. Vossloh CEO Oliver Schuster breaks down what has to change next.

Looking ahead to 2026, what do you see as the main strategic priorities for Vossloh within the European rail infrastructure market?

Oliver Schuster: The rail infrastructure market is evolving. Network operators are under pressure to achieve their key objectives: high availability of their railways, low life-cycle costs, and ambitious sustainability standards. For this, they need more than just suppliers of products and services: they need strong partners with a deep understanding of the complex rail system.

Vossloh is ready to be such a partner. With the acquisition of Sateba, a European market leader in the manufacture of sleepers, we have completed our portfolio. Now we can offer our customers truly integrated packages and co-create the best tailor-made solution together with them.

Rail infrastructure across Europe faces increasing pressure in terms of capacity, reliability, and maintenance. Where do you see the most urgent needs for modernisation and investment?

Oliver Schuster: Many countries have underinvested in railways for decades. This is a societal debt that we must pay off. At the same time, building new tracks is often not an option for enabling more rail traffic, especially in the short and medium term. In addition to maintaining and modernising existing networks, investment must therefore focus on digitalisation: from state-of-the-art train and traffic control systems to smart infrastructure.

Digitalisation and predictive maintenance are becoming more prominent in track infrastructure. Which technologies or approaches will be most decisive for improving network performance going into 2026?

Oliver Schuster: We already have good solutions for inspecting and monitoring tracks with sensors. At Vossloh, these include ultrasonic, eddy current, laser scan, and camera-based systems, along with AI-supported analysis. Radar and lidar will complement this offering.

We are able to interpret comprehensive track data and derive relevant information for the continuous improvement of hardware components, the comprehensive optimisation of track systems, and tailor-made, condition-based maintenance.

Holistic, knowledge-based asset management systems will be the logical next step. At the same time, cybersecurity will become even more important as connectivity increases. We place great emphasis on this topic.

Predictive and condition-based maintenance will be of utmost importance, as increased traffic density increases wear and tear on the track system, while the time available for maintenance decreases.

Sustainability and lifecycle costs are increasingly shaping infrastructure decisions. How is Vossloh supporting infrastructure managers in balancing durability, performance, and environmental objectives?

Oliver Schuster: We are continuously working to improve and innovate our products in terms of performance, durability, and sustainability: high-performance fastening systems with significantly lower environmental footprint, concrete sleepers with reduced CO2 emissions, fully recyclable composite sleepers made from sand and recycled materials, and the first circular business models for switches and fastening components. At the same time, we are investing heavily in state-of-the-art production technologies across all our segments in order to lower energy consumption and reduce waste.

Reducing life-cycle costs and improving sustainability are not contradictory if you approach things the right way. However, it is important that the procurement strategies of railway infrastructure operators take these aspects into account and do not just go for the cheapest option – in the long run, cheap is more expensive.

In addition, digitalisation and future condition-based and predictive maintenance strategies will help to enable more green rail mobility and extend the lifespan of the assets. This is another important lever when it comes to sustainability aspects.

From an infrastructure perspective, what message would you like to convey to European policymakers as they shape funding and regulatory frameworks for the coming years?

Oliver Schuster: It’s encouraging to see that many countries are launching extensive investment programmes for railway infrastructure. This must continue. And we can see that the money is well spent: studies show that every euro invested here creates an economic value of two euros for our societies. Regulation should provide incentives for investment in digital technologies and sustainable solutions.

Rail is the best form of mobility in terms of safety, comfort, and climate. The better it works, the better for everyone. A strong and reliable infrastructure is vital for trust in political leaders and, therefore, one basis for the flourishing of democratic systems.