Rail Automation Summit 2027

Rail Automation Summit 2027

The Rail Automation Summit takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark on 9 March 2027. The one-day event focuses on automation, automatic train operation (ATO), Grades of Automation (GoA) 1 to 4 and the practical path towards driverless heavy rail.

The summit is organised by LightRailDay.com ApS, the Copenhagen-based company behind Light Rail Day, an established meeting point for the Nordic tram and light rail sector. Rail Automation Summit is the organiser’s new initiative and is led by Summit Lead and Conference Director Daniel Weissensteiner.

Why Copenhagen

The host city is home to one of the most ambitious automation projects in rail. Danish State Railways (DSB) is converting its 170-kilometre S-train network into a fully driverless GoA4 system while the network stays in passenger service. The organiser identifies the migration of existing, live networks, rather than the construction of new automated lines, as the industry’s greatest hurdle on the way to GoA4.

Who Attends

The summit is aimed at European rail leaders, operators, infrastructure managers, signalling experts and technology providers. It is designed for engineers working on the technical detail of autonomous signalling as well as transit professionals preparing for operational change, with suppliers, consultants, authorities and decision-makers also part of the target audience.

Conference Programme

Speakers will present international case studies, technological developments and proven migration strategies. A call for speakers is open, with contributions sought on four key topics:

• GoA4 Migration Strategies: managing the move from legacy systems to fully driverless operation without disrupting passenger flow
• Next-Generation Rolling Stock: design, telemetry and integration for autonomous trainsets
• Safety and Compliance: SIL4 standards, cyber security and autonomous incident recovery
• Workforce Transformation: adapting control centre operations and staff roles for driverless operation

The organiser also positions the summit as the foundation of a new international community for driverless heavy rail experts, with early engagement presented as a way to shape the standards that will govern automated rail.

Further details and mailing list sign-up are available on the Rail Automation Summit website.