Digitale transitie voor een toekomstbestendig spoor: Onderzoek systeemkeuzes spoor

Passenger and freight transport by rail grows substantially. By 2040, passenger transport is expected to increase by 18-40% and freight transport by 32-55%. In order to accommodate this growth, further development of the current rail network is necessary, which prevents capacity bottlenecks and contributes to better accessibility. The digital transition on the railways is indispensable for this. It offers the possibility to realize extra capacity on the existing network and to avoid extra investments – through new rail infrastructure. This transition has already started. The question is how this digital transition can take shape and what system choices are required until 2040. This report is the result of a study into five system leaps in the digital transition of rail. These divergent system jumps can – albeit not in combination – be used to achieve better utilization of the rail network. In front of every system jump information is available, but there is a lack of an overarching picture of the cohesion between and the potential of the system leaps. The research provides insight into the usefulness and necessity of the five system jumps – individually and in conjunction – and provides insight into prioritization and choices. The results support the decisions to be made – by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and ProRail – on the organization of the digital transition on the railways.