Railway students from across Europe are meeting in Rome
Start of a 2-weeks learning event on European Railways organised by Sapienza University of Rome at the Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering
The opening session of the third edition of SISTERS - "Summer International School on the European Railway System" took place in Rome today.
The summer school, which will be held from 14 to 22 July 2026, is organised by Sapienza University of Rome with the support of the European Rail Skills Alliance SERAS, funded by the Erasmus+ programme.
The Summer School is visited by 25 students from 14 countries and 9 universities, 7 of which are SERAS partners (le Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers of Paris, the Czech Technical University in Prague, Dresden Technical University, the Universities of Applied Sciences of Erfurt and of Sankt Pölten, as well as the Universities of Genoa and Sapienza itself).
The introductory lectures has been given by Anna Gigantino, Head of the ERA Academy Unit of the European Union Agency for Railways.
The course topics include the European regulatory framework, interoperability, signalling systems, with references to ERTMS/ETCS, sustainable propulsion, green mobility, rail safety communications at cross borders, artificial intelligence in railways, automated freight intermodal transport and Maglev Derived Systems.
The Summer School features a rich schedule of educational activities and technical visits. Specifically, the programme has been introduced by the opening speeches of Francesco Napolitano, Director of DICEA Department of Sapienza, Stefano Ricci, Dean of Sapienza DICEA Transport Area, and representatives of Italian partner companies, including Natalia Grishina and Alessandro Lugli of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Luca De Castro of Alstom and Giuseppe Cavalleri of Siemens Mobility.
The educational sessions will cover various aspects of the European railway system, including:
- "A Sustainable and Safe Borderless European Transport System" by Anna Gigantino, ERA;
- “Strengthening European railways research, a strategic imperative; presentation of Academics4Rail and PhDs-EURail projects” by Armando Carrillo Zanuy, EURNEX;
- "Interoperability of the European Railway System" by Anna Gigantino, ERA;
- “T4RAIL IT-SI: digitising communication in rail transport in the border area between Italy and Slovenia” by Simona Garbuglia, Eleonora Carnevale, RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, and Luca Rizzetto, Sapienza University of Rome;
- "Historical Evolution of the Railway Signalling System in Italy towards ERTMS/ETCS" by Riccardo Licciardello, Sapienza University of Rome;
- “Sustainable Powertrains and Green Mobility in Rail Transport” by Khaled Itani, Le Cnam;
- “Artificial intelligence for railway operation” by Francesco Flammini, University of Florence and SUPSI Lugano;
- “Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC): strategies and technological developments in operational environments” by Maria Antonietta Zocco and Cesar Augusto Osorio, Mercitalia Intermodal;
- “MaDe4Rail 2 project: Maglev Derived Systems for Rail” by Nunzia Leo, Marjorie De Belen, Camilo Patino Puerta, RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, and Giacomo De Paoli, Ironlev.
In addition to theoretical lectures, the programme also includes several technical visits, to railway traffic control rooms, maintenance workshops, signalling system laboratories, construction sites and the Italian railway museum of Pietrarsa (Naples). The Summer School will also offer socialising moments, including a social dinner, a guided tour of the monuments of ancient Rome and a concluding interactive session with the students' individual impressions.
