Facoltà di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale

32 students from European universities to delve into the railway universe

As part of the European project STAFFER, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, Sapienza University of Rome is organizing the "Summer School on the European Railway System." The programme will include 32 students from 7 countries (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia) and 9 universities, 6 of which are STAFFER partners (le Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers of Paris, Dresden Technical University, the Universities of Applied Sciences of Erfurt and Sankt Pölten, the University of Belgrade and Sapienza itself).

The course topics will include the European regulatory framework, interoperability, signalling systems, with particular reference to ERTMS/ETCS, sustainable propulsion, green mobility, safety management, and risk assessment.

The Summer School, which will be held from 10 to 19 July 2024, features a rich schedule of educational activities and technical visits. Specifically, the programme will be introduced by the opening speeches of Angela Di Febbraro, Professor of the University of Genoa and Coordinator of the STAFFER project, Francesco Napolitano, Director of DICEA, and representatives of Italian partner companies, such as Vito Pagliarisi of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Pietro Marmo of Hitachi Rail and Marco Barale of Alstom.
The first lessons will be given by Anna Gigantino, Head of the Analysis and Monitoring Unit of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)
The educational sessions will cover various aspects of the European railway system, including:

• "A Sustainable and Safe Borderless European Transport System" by Anna Gigantino from ERA;
• "Interoperability of the European Railway System" by Anna Gigantino;
• "Historical Evolution of Railway Signalling System in Italy towards ERTMS/ETCS" by Riccardo Licciardello from Sapienza University of Rome;
• "Safety Management and Risk Assessment in European Railways" by Marco Antognoli and Luca Rizzetto from Sapienza University of Rome;
• "Railway Engineering Education in Europe: Experiences from Erasmus+ Projects" by Stefano Ricci from Sapienza University of Rome;
• “Sustainable Powertrains and Green Mobility in Rail Transport” by Khaled Itani from Le Cnam;
• “Difficult choices – which alternative for which application?” by Michael Lehmann from the University of Applied Science Erfurt.

In addition to theoretical lectures, the programme 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, such as a social dinner, a guided tour of the monuments of ancient Rome and a concluding interactive session with the students' individual impressions.

For more information and details on the programme, please visit the official STAFFER project website.