FEDECRAIL - 2026 Congress
- Nicolas RETEL
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
FEDECRAIL is the European federation that brings together stakeholders in tourist and historical railways.
Today, it constitutes a key space for dialogue, cooperation and influence at the European level for the entire sector.
It was in this context that a conference was recently held in Wolsztyn, attended by:
Henri BARBIER (Train à vapeur d'Auvergne),
Philippe DUPONT (Chemin de fer Touristique du Vermandois),
Geoffrey NICKSON (Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme),
Margaux WALCK (UNECTO).
They return with a strong conviction: for issues that may seem very local, the European level is now essential.
French tourist and historical railways have a vital role to play in these exchanges. The work of the HOG within FEDECRAIL clearly demonstrates this: major developments in the railway sector—regulatory, technical, and operational—are also taking place at the European level, with very concrete impacts on:
🚆Our traffic patterns,
🔧Our equipment,
🏭Our workshops,
📍And, more broadly, the future of living railway heritage
This meeting also highlighted a central issue for all our networks:
Transmission .
The Youth Upskill program highlights how essential it is to:
👉 To train,
👉 Passing on know-how,
👉 Preparing the next generation,
Because behind every train, there are skills, a technical culture and a passion that must be preserved and shared.
Under the leadership of Mimmi Mickelsen, these exchange sessions illustrate the full strength of collaborative work between countries: comparing experiences, sharing solutions, identifying convergences and developing a common voice in service of European tourist and historical trains.
The discussions also covered topics that are crucial for the future of the sector:
➡️ ERTMS deployment,
➡️ Regulatory changes,
➡️ Lobbying activities,
➡️ Technical and marketing innovations,
These are all essential levers to support and sustain tourist and historical railways in Europe.
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