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SUMMARY:"Railway Systems in Transition: Resilience\, Digitalisation and Wo
 rkforce Change"
DTSTART:20260319T171500
DTEND:20260319T181500
DTSTAMP:20260415T110741Z
UID:24ca61eaa7fdd1a59734a2038b2c20b3f7d8f0976244a5c2bff320f9
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Peter Kummer\, Professor of Practice TRANSP-OR\nAbstract\nSwi
 tzerland is among the world’s most successful railway nations: exception
 ally high demand\, outstanding punctuality and sustainable operations on a
  fully electrified network characterise the system. Its performance is bui
 lt on close coordination between the infrastructure manager and the railwa
 y undertakings\, who together transport more than one million passengers s
 afely and reliably every day. At the same time\, the railway system faces 
 a series of profound and increasingly interconnected challenges.\n\nThe ma
 intenance needs of an ageing infrastructure are rising sharply\, while fin
 ancial resources are constrained\, forcing strict prioritisation. Demand f
 or sustainable mobility continues to grow\, requiring additional capacity 
 and further network development. The incident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel 
 has vividly demonstrated how critical the resilience of key transport infr
 astructure has become for both the economy and society. This demanding env
 ironment is further intensified by a widespread shortage of skilled labour
 \, affecting almost all professional groups and slowing down the system’
 s transformation.\n\nTo address these mounting challenges\, clear strategi
 c directions are required. Network expansion should take place where deman
 d is highest and where it creates the greatest system-wide benefit. At the
  same time\, the principle of “preservation before expansion” must gui
 de investment decisions. The existing network also needs to be utilised fa
 r more effectively\, supported by digitalisation\, optimised network desig
 n and modern technologies. Another priority is the development of a flexib
 le\, customer-oriented service offering that can respond more dynamically 
 to shifts in demand and make best use of available capacity. The transform
 ation likewise requires more efficient construction practices\, larger pro
 ject clusters and optimal use of available resources help reduce operation
 al restrictions and enable projects to be delivered more quickly and cost-
 effectively. Yet the decisive success factor remains the human element. Th
 e railway of the future will depend on staff equipped with advanced techni
 cal and digital skills\, a renewed understanding of their roles\, and the 
 ability to continuously develop new competencies. Targeted training and de
 velopment of future professionals is therefore a strategic necessity and t
 he motivation behind my role as Professor of Practice at EPFL. The railway
  system is a cornerstone of the Swiss economy\, yet the Universities curre
 ntly offer no course that treats the railway as a fully integrated system.
 \n\nThis is precisely the purpose of the lecture Railway Systems and Their
  Transition: it addresses the future challenges of rail from technical\, e
 conomic and systemic perspectives\, providing knowledge that is rarely cov
 ered in traditional disciplines. Students learn how infrastructure\, opera
 tions\, rolling stock\, energy systems\, digitalisation\, workforce dynami
 cs and financing interlink to form one highly complex whole. The aim is to
  equip the next generation of specialists to understand railways holistica
 lly\, think across disciplines and competently address challenges at syste
 m interfaces.\n\nThe lecture concludes with a forward-looking reflection o
 n how we can collectively shape the Swiss railway system to be resilient\,
  efficient and prepared for the future\, ensuring that it continues to pla
 y a central role in sustainable mobility and in the country’s economic p
 erformance.\n\nShort bio\nPeter Kummer has been Professor of Practice in t
 he School of Architecture\, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) sin
 ce September 2025. Until May 2025\, he served as Head of Infrastructure an
 d member of the Executive Board at Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). In this r
 ole\, he was responsible for ensuring the optimal use of network capacity 
 for passenger and freight services through train path management and the e
 fficient operation\, maintenance\, and development of the railway infrastr
 ucture. SBB Infrastructure also oversees the expansion of both the rail ne
 twork and the company’s electricity supply system.\n\nHe joined SBB in 2
 007 as Chief IT Architect and became CIO and member of the Executive Board
  in 2009. As CIO\, he led the company’s entire IT division and played a 
 key role in driving SBB’s digital transformation. Before joining SBB\, h
 e headed Enterprise Architecture and IT Strategy at "Die Mobiliar"\, and p
 reviously worked as an IT architect\, project leader and consultant in var
 ious companies.\n\nHe holds a master’s degree in business administration
  and information systems from the University of Bern. Peter Kummer lives n
 ear Biel with his wife and their four daughters.\n 
LOCATION:CM 1 5 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CM%201%205 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/67697179406
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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