3 projects
All three IN2TRACK projects (2016-2023) explicitly target switches and crossings as a core research theme.
Organization
VOESTALPINE RAIL TECHNOLOGY GMBH
Major Austrian rail component manufacturer contributing industrial expertise in tracks, switches, and crossings to European railway R&D.
Large industrial companytransportATNo active H2020 projects
H2020 projects
3
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€281K
Unique partners
52
What they do
Their core work
voestalpine Rail Technology is the rail infrastructure division of the voestalpine Group, one of Europe's leading steel and technology corporations. Based in Leoben, Austria, they manufacture and develop railway track components — particularly switches, crossings, and rail systems — for mainline and urban rail networks. In H2020, they contributed industrial expertise to the Shift2Rail programme's IN2TRACK project series, focused on improving the durability, performance, and cost-efficiency of track and turnout systems across European railways.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Railway track systems and materialsprimary
3 projects
Track design and enhancement is a consistent keyword across IN2TRACK, IN2TRACK2, and IN2TRACK3.
Railway bridges and tunnels infrastructuresecondary
3 projects
Bridges and tunnels appear as keywords in all three projects, indicating structural infrastructure involvement.
1 project
The 'radical innovations' keyword appears only in IN2TRACK2 (2018-2022), suggesting a move toward more disruptive R&D.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Track and switch enhancement
Recent focus
Radical rail infrastructure innovation
voestalpine Rail Technology's focus has been remarkably consistent across their entire H2020 participation (2016-2023), centered on the same core domain: tracks, switches, crossings, and structural rail assets. The notable shift is the appearance of "radical innovations" in the second project (IN2TRACK2), suggesting a progression from incremental improvements toward more ambitious, next-generation infrastructure concepts. This trajectory — from enhancing existing systems to exploring fundamentally new approaches — reflects a maturing R&D engagement within the Shift2Rail programme.
They are moving from incremental track component improvement toward more disruptive innovation in rail infrastructure, making them increasingly relevant for future European railway modernisation projects.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: specialist_contributorReach: European13 countries collaborated
voestalpine Rail Technology operates exclusively as a participant — they bring industrial manufacturing expertise into large research consortia rather than leading them. With 52 unique partners across 13 countries from just 3 projects, they work in very large Shift2Rail consortia (averaging 17+ partners per project), which is typical for the Joint Undertaking framework. Their consistent participation across three successive IN2TRACK iterations shows they are a trusted, long-term consortium member rather than a one-off contributor.
Through the IN2TRACK series, they have built connections with 52 partners across 13 European countries — a wide network driven by the large-scale Shift2Rail consortia. This gives them established relationships with most major European rail infrastructure research players.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
voestalpine Rail Technology brings something rare to EU rail research: they are not an academic lab or consultancy, but a major industrial manufacturer of the actual components being researched — switches, crossings, and track systems. This means their project contributions are grounded in real production constraints, material science know-how, and operational deployment experience. For consortium builders, they offer a direct path from research results to manufactured, market-ready rail products.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- IN2TRACK2Their largest funded project (EUR 161,155), introducing 'radical innovations' as a research theme beyond incremental improvement.
- IN2TRACK3The most recent project (2021-2023), confirming their long-term commitment to the Shift2Rail research agenda across three successive iterations.
Cross-sector capabilities
Advanced steel and materials engineeringInfrastructure asset management and monitoringManufacturing and industrial production processesClimate-resilient transport infrastructure
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