This year's seminar took place on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, in the auditorium of the RWTH main building with more than 100 participants. As usual, it was organized in cooperation with the Western District Group of the German Mechanical Engineering Society (DMG) – Forum for Innovative Rail Systems.
The technical program began at noon with presentations by Sebastian Misczyk (Siemens Mobility GmbH, Braunschweig) and Florian Kittelmann (Alstom Group, Berlin). The focus was on the introduction of modern train control systems (CBTC) and their impact on infrastructure, operations, and vehicle fleets, as well as the upgradeability of existing technology to increase capacity. Under the motto “The Future of Rail is Automatic,” Kittelmann highlighted Alstom's experience with autonomous rail systems, challenges for sensor systems, specific use cases, and a roadmap for future applications.
The afternoon saw another block of presentations by Michael Rüffer (Stadler Signalling Deutschland GmbH, Braunschweig) and Fabian Hampel (IFS). Rüffer discussed the automation of regional railways up to GoA4 operation, the current state of development, an outlook for the near future, and specific challenges and approaches to solutions, including the role of standards and legislation in networking and communication. Fabian Hampel presented approaches to collision avoidance when driving on sight and explained the status quo, preventive and reactive measures, as well as current research and solutions.
Between the blocks, there was an extended break with refreshments and plenty of opportunity for exchanging ideas and networking.
Participants in the seminar can obtain the presentations from the IFS secretariat upon request, provided they have been released.