Budget of €2.56 million, RFI acting as coordinator
With the signing of the Grant Agreement for the MaDe4Rail project, 30 June 2023 was a big day for the European railway sector. The Chairman of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Dario Lo Bosco, officially kicked off the initiative promoted and financed by the European Commission, with the lead company of the Infrastructure Hub acting as coordinator.
The kick-off meeting was held today, Thursday 6 July, in the auditorium of Villa Patrizi, the headquarters of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, and was attended by delegations from the international partners. Welcoming them and opening the proceedings were Paola Firmi, Head of RFI's Deputy Directorate General for Development and Standards, and Giulia Costagli, Head of Technology Governance & Energy, Fuel, Materials and Transportation Solutions of the FS Group.
MaDe4Rail is an ambitious project that originated within Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, the public-private partnership between the European Union and the railway sector, with the aim of contributing to Europe's policy priorities, specifically to the strategy for sustainable and intelligent mobility through innovation, research and development.
Overcoming the current limits of the railway system by aiming for even faster, more efficient and sustainable travel is what MaDe4Rail is proposing. The 16 organisations involved, including railway operators, engineering companies, technology developers, universities and research centres, from eight European countries, will actively collaborate to develop new technologies, conduct advanced studies and promote the integration of Maglev-derived Systems into the European landscape. MDSs are innovative high-speed, magnetic and pneumatic levitation transport systems which can be integrated into the existing railway infrastructure or can create a new, dedicated and independent one.
With a consolidation period of 12 months, MaDe4Rail has a total budget of €2.56 million, €1.5 million of which is being funded by the European Commission. This is a significant step towards advancing rail transport systems, helping to create a more attractive, user-friendly, maintainable, accessible, efficient and sustainable continental rail system. Furthermore, the project will foster the development of a robust and globally competitive European railway industry.