Together with our partners Deutsche Telekom and T-Systems, Detecon will showcase at InnoTrans 2026 how rail and public transport can master digital transformation. Our focus is on KRITIS resilience, IT transformation, digital rail operations, connectivity, and data & AI. Meet our experts in Berlin to discuss the sector’s key challenges and opportunities.
Meet us at InnoTrans
Learn more about how digitalization and AI are making rail transportation ready for the future. Let’s schedule an appointment.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from HubSpot. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information
What matters most in rail & public transport today.
Ensuring KRITIS resilience under increasing pressure
Transportation infrastructure is classified as critical infrastructure and faces growing pressure from cyberattacks, KRITIS and NIS2 regulations, and geopolitical tensions. Whether on-premise or in the cloud, resilience and operational continuity must be structurally embedded, not just reactive.
Modernizing IT landscapes without downtime
Legacy systems in the rail sector are complex, business-critical, and strictly regulated. New technologies, migrations, and advancing digitalization increase the pressure to introduce modern IT architectures during ongoing operations, without compromising the availability and safety of the rail system.
Rail networks are reaching capacity limits
Rail networks are reaching their capacity limits as passenger numbers and freight demand continue to grow. Expanding infrastructure is costly and time-consuming. From the control center to automated rail operations to the shunting yard, the pressure to create more capacity within the existing network keeps rising.
Communications infrastructure in transition
Aging GSM-R networks are reaching end-of-life, while ETCS and the digitalization of rail infrastructure and operations demand reliable connectivity, from FRMCS and 5G to edge-based architectures. The transition must ensure operational continuity and safety throughout the entire migration.
Data and AI potential remains untapped
Data from infrastructure, vehicle fleets, and passenger systems is often siloed across different systems and areas of responsibility. Companies struggle to turn AI pilot projects into scalable, measurable value for predictive maintenance, timetable planning, and investment decisions.
Key transformation areas for future mobility.
Building resilient infrastructure
Given growing IT/OT convergence, we strengthen critical infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity, and operational continuity, embedded structurally rather than addressed reactively. Our approach connects regulations like NIS2 with technical implementation, whether on-premise or in the cloud, for stable rail operations.
Modernizing legacy IT landscapes
With a clear enterprise architecture, we lay the foundation for the step-by-step transformation of complex legacy IT landscapes. This creates flexibility, efficiency, and the basis for new digital services.
Enabling data-driven decisions
Digital planning connects infrastructure, data, and people to enable better decisions. We link data across planning, construction, and operations, identify AI use cases, and scale them responsibly, from predictive maintenance to investment planning.
Strengthening digital operations control
ETCS provides the safety-critical signaling foundation for digital rail operations. We support the implementation of Traffic Management Systems (TMS) and guide the path toward Automatic Train Operation (ATO), increasing capacity through more efficient infrastructure use.
Start a conversation
Let’s talk – about the challenges your organization faces in the mobility sector.
The Rail Competence Center at a glance.
What is the Rail Competence Center?
The Rail Competence Center (RCC) is Detecon's dedicated center of expertise for the rail industry. It pools rail-specific knowledge and combines classic management consulting with deep technology expertise to guide clients purposefully through the digital transformation of rail systems.
The RCC is built around three core dimensions that shape our work and form our unique selling point: Client, People, and Knowledge.
With more than 60 rail experts, over 80 completed rail projects worldwide, and decades of experience in the railway industry, we are one of the world's leading railway consultancies. As diverse as our team is, our shared compass is clear: together, we shape the path toward a connected, livable future and support you in the digitalization of the railway system.
Why did we establish the RCC?
The rail industry stands at a defining moment. Outdated signal boxes and fragmented system landscapes are colliding with the rollout of new standards such as ETCS and FRMCS. Rising capacity demands, a demanding regulatory environment, and demographic shifts in the workforce are adding further pressure.
Yet this very tension also holds opportunity: the digital transformation of rail opens up enormous potential for more efficient operations, higher reliability, better customer experiences, and more sustainable mobility. This opportunity is what drives us.
Our motivation is to leverage the rail-specific knowledge, project experience, and international network bundled within the RCC for the benefit of our clients, and to actively help shape the future of mobility together.
What services does the RCC offer?
The RCC offers a broad portfolio of strategic, operational, and technological consulting services for the rail industry, organized along three levels.
At the strategic and organizational level, we help rail companies develop clear target visions and sustainable structures, from rail strategy to agile transformation.
At the operational level, we make operations more efficient, safer, and more resilient, spanning data architecture, RAMS, and cybersecurity.
At the technological level, we support the rollout of key systems for the digital railway, from intelligent traffic management to future-ready communication infrastructure.
Regulatory requirements such as CENELEC standards, safety cases, and approval processes are consistently considered across all three levels.
What makes the RCC unique?
What makes the RCC unique is the combination of three dimensions that are rarely brought together this consistently in the industry: Client, People, and Knowledge.
Client means deeply understanding the individual challenges our rail clients face and developing solutions tailored to their specific environment.
People means bringing together interdisciplinary teams that combine consulting experience, rail expertise, and technological understanding.
Knowledge means continuously building, sharing, and applying insights from projects, markets, and innovations across the entire rail sector.
This combination allows us to view rail transformation from multiple perspectives at once, rather than treating it as a purely technical or strategic issue.
Who is behind the RCC?
The RCC's core team consists of more than 60 rail experts, building on a foundation of over 30 years of Detecon experience in the rail industry. The RCC is led by Hamza Larhrib, Principal and Head of the Rail Competence Center at Detecon Alpine.
What sets our team apart is the depth and breadth of its expertise: from strategy and organization to regulatory affairs, RAMS, and approvals, all the way to key technologies such as ETCS, ATO, TMS, and FRMCS, the RCC covers the full spectrum of rail digitalization.
This is complemented by our international footprint, with experience from projects in more than 7 countries, and access to a broader pool of Detecon experts. This allows us to assemble the right team, both professionally and culturally, for every engagement.
What can you expect as a client?
With the RCC, you gain a partner with deep industry knowledge and an independent outside perspective. Our solutions are tailored to your organization, your environment, and your regulatory requirements.
As an interface between Detecon's industries, such as Telco, Public, Energy, and Automotive, Detecon's international regions, and external rail clients, authorities, and associations, the RCC mobilizes synergies that are often lost in classic consulting structures.
You benefit from international best-practice knowledge, a strong network, and a team that reliably drives complex digitalization initiatives to success. Our track record with leading railway clients speaks for itself.
Meet us at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin.
Hamza Larhrib
Principal
Rail Competence Center Region Alpine
