One of the main players in the rail industry, Hitachi Rail, is one of this year’s exhibitors at Train & Rail.
We had the opportunity to talk to Ulf Hammarbäck, Principal Sales Manager for the Nordics at Hitachi Rail, about their involvement in Train & Rail 2025.
What kind of company is Hitachi Rail and what do you do?
Hitachi Rail is a global rail solutions provider and a trusted partner to the world’s leading transport organizations. We employ around 24,000 people in over 50 countries.
Our international capabilities and expertise cover all aspects of the urban, national and freight transport system – from high-quality rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance to secure digital signaling, smart operating solutions and payment systems.
In the Nordic region, we are working with the main players in the rail sector to modernize both passenger and freight services in the region. This includes the introduction of ERTMS technology on main lines in Sweden, Denmark and Finland, as well as the design and operation of Copenhagen’s first driverless metro system more than twenty years ago.
Why have you chosen to participate in Train & Rail 2025?
We participated in the first edition in 2023, and as Train & Rail is now taking its place as the leading event in our industry, we have chosen to prioritize it.
We see it as one of the most important railway events in Northern Europe and a good meeting place for us to meet our customers, partners and others. For us, it is therefore important to participate in this event to showcase our expertise, products and innovations.
What is your objective with Train & Rail?
Of course, it’s about meeting the industry in the Nordic region. It’s mainly Swedish participants, but we know that there will also be customers and partners from Norway, Finland and Denmark. So there will be many to meet.
We also know that many young people and students attend the event, which gives us as a leading supplier an opportunity to speak to the next generation.
It is no secret that we need to attract new resources to the rail industry, especially as demand is huge – not just in Sweden but across Europe.
We need to make the rail industry attractive! Historically, railways have had a rather old-fashioned image, but the industry has evolved and now uses very advanced technology. We want to tell young engineers that this is a diverse, exciting and challenging field to get into.
What is the most important issue from your perspective for the future of railways and how are you currently working on this issue?
There is a strong focus on both operations and signaling, which is at the core of our business. But this is something we already know.
One of the biggest costs of rail today is the infrastructure itself. It’s an ongoing discussion in Sweden – some new rail lines have been built, and more will be built in the future. But most of Sweden’s railways were built 100 years ago.
Today, the integration of data and technology in rail operations, train control, signaling and maintenance is not just an improvement – it is a necessity in the modern rail industry.
With the new HMAX platform, Hitachi is using advanced data analytics, IoT devices and AI to dramatically increase productivity and operational efficiency in the rail sector.
This is what we offer our customers – a solution that can help increase the value of the investments made 100 years ago.
What do you want from industry colleagues and policy makers to enable society to meet the demand, financial constraints and climate goals of future rail transport?
Looking at developments in recent years, the importance of rail, its crucial role in economic growth and its major contribution to achieving climate goals are undeniable.
We very much welcome the decisions taken by the Swedish government, with a clear focus on accelerating the digitalization of the Swedish railways. Hitachi Rail fully supports this effort and looks forward to being a strong partner in realizing it.