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PROSE railway cybersecurity expert preparing Cyber Resilience Act solutions for rail products ahead of InnoTrans

Turning CRA compliance into practical rail engineering

The EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is changing how rail products are developed and maintained. Did you know PROSE can help you turn compliance into practical engineering solutions?

Our experts support product- and system-manufacturers as well as vehicle manufacturers / system throughout the CRA journey, including:

  • Developing or validating your CRA compliance strategy across your product portfolio
  • Translating CRA requirements into practical actions for industrial rail products
  • Defining support periods, intended purpose and product lifecycle strategies
  • Establishing key documentation, including vulnerability management processes, CVD policies and compliance documentation
  • Performing cybersecurity threat and risk analyses to support implementation of the CRA’s essential requirements
  • Advising on product responsibilities, dissemination strategies and long-term commercial considerations

But CRA compliance is not just about the product itself. As our cybersecurity expert Claudius Multmeier explains:

“One very typical misconception, especially in rail, is that it is believed that the product manufacturer just has to comply with the CRA and, for the end user, the topic is done. This might be the case for consumer products like a smartphone, but not for complex rail products, which need to be properly integrated, operated and maintained by the end user. All involved parties have to play their role to actually reach the goal of a cyber-secure rail environment.”

Take the opportunity to discuss your cybersecurity challenges in person. Meet our experts on site at InnoTrans.

📍 Hall 2.2 | Booth 250

Your destination. Our know-how.

Railway tracks and high-speed trains at Berlin station, representing railway engineering ahead of InnoTrans 2026.

Your challenge meets our know-how

Every visitor arrives at InnoTrans with a destination in mind.
A challenge to solve, a project to move forward or an idea to explore.
We’d love to hear yours!

Over the past years, PROSE has supported customers in many different situations: preparing for new cybersecurity requirements, using AI to reduce noise and wear, planning ETCS rollouts, extending vehicle life, assessing bogie concepts and testing digital maintenance tools in real environments.

The projects are different, but the questions behind them often feel familiar:

  • How do we reduce risk?
  • How do we make better decisions with data?
  • How do we keep assets reliable for longer?
  • How do we bring new systems into operation safely?

At InnoTrans 2026, we will share insights from projects like these and discuss what they can mean for your own challenges.

Make a stop at our booth:

📍 Hall 2.2 | Booth 250

Your destination. Our know-how.

PROSE experts wearing orange high-visibility clothing and safety helmets inspect railway infrastructure during a site visit. The image invites visitors to meet PROSE at InnoTrans 2026 in Hall 2.2, Booth 250.

Extending the life of rail fleets

Are you facing the dilemma of keeping fleets running longer than originally planned?

You are not alone.

We meet operators and fleet owners across Europe who face the same challenge: How can the service life of rail vehicles be extended without compromising reliability, safety or performance?

Questions we often see include:

  • Which components should be modernised and which can remain in service?
  • How can reliability be maintained as vehicles age?
  • When does life extension create more value than replacement?
  • How do you prepare a fleet for the next 10–15 years?

Every fleet, operating environment and business case is different.

At PROSE, we support operators and fleet owners in finding practical solutions that keep vehicles running safely, reliably and efficiently for longer.

Meet us at InnoTrans 2026.

📍Hall 2.2 | Booth 250

Your destination. Our Know-how.

Dr Alexander Mahr wearing a PROSE safety helmet stands in front of a modern railway vehicle during a retrofit project. The image promotes meeting PROSE experts at InnoTrans 2026 in Hall 2.2, Booth 250.

Understanding successful rail vehicle modernisation

Customers often ask us how long a retrofit will take or how much it will cost. They’re important questions, and the answer starts with understanding the complexity behind every vehicle.

Our modernisation and retrofit expert, Dr Alexander Mahr, has decades of experience supporting modernisation projects across Europe. When asked what determines the success of a retrofit project, he puts it simply:

“No two retrofit projects are the same. The better you understand a vehicle’s history and future requirements, the more predictable the project becomes.”

Dr Alexander Mahr sees the same challenges time and again: poor-quality documentation, obsolete components and undocumented vehicle modifications can complicate planning.

Another underestimated challenge is the vehicle authorisation process after a modernisation. As fleets become more connected through onboard Wi-Fi, passenger information systems and ETCS, cybersecurity is also becoming an essential part of every modernisation project. Meeting evolving requirements, including NIS2 and the Cyber Reslience Act, is now part of preparing existing fleets for the future.

This is where PROSE comes in: we help manage complexity and deliver modernisation projects with confidence, offering expertise in modernisation, cybersecurity, vehicle authorisation and electrical engineering.

Take the opportunity to discuss your modernisation challenges in person and meet us at InnoTrans.

📍 Hall 2.2 | Booth 250

Your destination. Our know-how.

 

Railway vehicle authorisation process showing early compliance planning, evidence management and regulatory assessment from design to approval.

The fastest route to authorisation starts at the design stage

By considering regulatory requirements from the very beginning of a project, manufacturers and operators can reduce risk, avoid costly redesigns and accelerate time to market.

At PROSE, we support the development and modernisation of railway vehicles through a structured approach that includes:

  • Up to 30% faster time to market by addressing authorisation requirements early.
  • Compliance with the 4th Railway Package throughout the development and modernisation process.
  • Standardised evidence planning and evidence assessment using structured checklists.
  • A design process aligned with the requirements of NoBo, DeBo and AsBo, helping to simplify and accelerate the authorisation process.
  • Early identification of all applicable requirements and continuous monitoring of regulatory changes throughout the project lifecycle.

Successful authorisation starts long before the application is submitted. Integrating regulatory requirements into engineering from day one saves both time and cost while creating a smoother path to approval.

Railway station with multiple platforms and passengers, symbolising different project destinations for PROSE at InnoTrans 2026.

Every railway project starts with a destination. What’s yours?

Imagine arriving at a station where each platform leads to a different destination.

Different topics, different challenges and different destinations, but the same question: What will it take to get you there?

At InnoTrans 2026, our experts will be on site to discuss the goals you’re working towards and the practical steps needed to achieve them. Drawing on experience from projects across Europe and around the world, we’ll help you understand the options, overcome the obstacles and define the right path forward.

So, before you arrive in Berlin, ask yourself one question: What is your destination? We’ll help you get there.

Visit us at InnoTrans 2026
📍 Hall 2.2 | Booth 250

Book your meeting with one of our experts.

Your destination. Our know-how.

Ein grünes Eisenbahnsignal an einem Bahnsteig, an dem ein Hochgeschwindigkeitszug vorbeifährt, im Hintergrund die Skyline von Berlin bei Sonnenuntergang.

Vehicle authorisation for rolling stock projects

What can derail a rolling stock project before the vehicle even enters service?

Often, it is the authorisation process around it.

Vehicle modifications, retrofits and modernisations can bring clear benefits: improved reliability, better passenger comfort and new functionality. But they also require structured documentation, compliance checks, assessments and coordination with several bodies and authorities.

When authorisation is considered too late, projects risk delays, extra costs and avoidable uncertainty.

That is why PROSE helps customers address vehicle authorisation from the first project idea.

We help define the strategy, prepare evidence documents, coordinate with involved parties and guide the process through to submission. Whether you need support with one specific task or the full approval management process, we help keep projects moving.

Towards smoother vehicle authorisation? Let’s continue the conversation at InnoTrans.
Visit the PROSE booth in Hall 2.2, booth 250. Book your meeting with one of our experts.

Your destination. Our know-how.

Year 2038 problem graphic with binary code background in blue and red, highlighting the risks of Unix timestamp overflow in legacy systems.

2038 problem: What happens when time runs out?

The 2038 problem is a hidden risk in legacy computer systems that store time as a 32-bit Unix timestamp. On 19 January 2038, this counter will overflow, causing systems to jump back to 1901.

This jump backwards is expected to cause many software systems to crash or run into an unpredictable behaviour. And this is not theoretical! It may already affect systems that calculate future dates or that have a design life beyond 2037.

In rail, where precise timing underpins safe and reliable operations, this creates a hidden but critical risk across onboard and infrastructure systems, maintenance tools, etc. The key question is not if, but where.

While the event is “still” 12 years away, it is actually tomorrow, considering that the Rail Industry, like several others, are known to be slow-moving when it comes to such massive system upgrades.

At PROSE, we help you identify affected systems, understand their interactions, and define practical mitigation strategies tailored to your operations and lifecycle. Reach out to your local contact to learn more.

Have you checked your systems yet?

 

Digital rail lubrication system visual with train, data analytics and route-based monitoring in a depot environment.

Research creates value when it works in daily operation

Our research showed what intelligent, data-based rail head lubrication can achieve and how this understanding has developed systemically.

The next step is crucial: transferring the research results into a real operational project. A concrete example of this is the implementation at BERNMOBIL, in collaboration with Substring as technology partner.

Based on the findings from the research, a system was implemented that:

  • Records the lubrication requirements on the vehicle side
  • Continuously evaluates noise and operating data
  • Triggers lubrication proactively and route-specifically

What is different from before is that lubrication is now demand-driven, data-based and comprehensive across the entire fleet. The principles developed in the research project were specifically refined for operational use with a focus on robustness, scalability and integration into existing processes.

The result is a practical solution that reduces noise and minimises wear while taking operational and environmental requirements into account.

Further insights into the project can be found here: https://prose.one/noise-and-wear-reduction-for-trams-with-ai-based-rail-head-lubrication/

Employees wearing red PROSE shirts with “Shaping tomorrow’s mobility” printed on the back, gathered outdoors during a team event.

Shaping tomorrow’s mobility, independently

Independence is proven by action, and ours shows in who we work for.

Over the past 40+ years, PROSE has partnered with customers across the rail industry, from operators and manufacturers to maintainers and authorities. Our independent ownership makes this possible.
PROSE is owned by its employees and former employees; we quite literally work for ourselves, and that means we work for our customers alone.
It allows us to focus on what each customer truly needs: objective advice, practical solutions, and reliable, safe results that stand the test of time.

Our solutions to your needs.

Stay updated and follow the latest projects, news and events on our LinkedIn.

Conference setting with audience and speaker, overlaid with AI, train and engineering system icons representing intelligent rail optimisation.

Intelligent systems in rail transport must be considered as part of the overall system

Data-based rail head lubrication can significantly influence noise, wear and resource use. However, operators increasingly see that such solutions must be considered in the wider context of traction, braking and daily operation.

That is why we are placing the topic in a broader technical context:

On 23 April 2026 in Vienna, Dr Felix Saur, our expert in wheel-rail systems, will give a presentation at the 23rd Oberbremsrätekonferenz and the 21st International Central European Conference, an event organised by Knorr-Bremse GmbH Austria, on Intelligent traction optimisation of rail vehicles.

The conference offers another important platform for exchange between operations, technology and research, especially where friction, traction, braking and vehicle dynamics come together.

Reach out to Dr Felix Saur or Josef  Kometer to meet up. We look forward to dialogue and discussion with the expert community.

Further information on the event can be found here: https://www.oberbremsraetekonferenz.eu/cms/

Two trains in Dresden and Vienna with AI icons illustrating intelligent rail head lubrication, acoustic monitoring and data-driven rail optimisation.

From Dresden to Vienna: one shared challenge

Over the past two weeks, PROSE brought intelligent rail head lubrication into two key industry forums in Dresden and Vienna. We used these events to test ideas, challenge assumptions and engage with the people who deal with these challenges every day.

In Dresden, at the 21st International Railway Vehicle Conference, the focus was on intelligent rail head conditioning for trams. The combination of measurement technology, AI-supported data analysis and practical operational results sparked strong interest and many follow-up questions, both technical and operational.

In Vienna, at the 30th meeting of the Sound and Vibration Working Group (Rail Transport), the discussion shifted towards vehicle-based acoustic monitoring. The topic of acoustic data collection as the basis for tailored rail head conditioning and monitoring of rolling stock and infrastructure led to in-depth exchanges.

What stood out across both events:

There is a growing awareness that noise, wear and resource use cannot be optimised in isolation. For operators, maintainers and engineers, the key question is becoming:
How do we turn data into reliable, scalable decisions in daily operation?

These conversations build directly on the insights from our intelligent rail head lubrication research project and help translate them into practical, scalable solutions.

info@prose.one

 

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