Austria Unveils a New Era in Railway Innovation with INFRATRACK Testing Facility

The launch of the new railway testing facility by INFRATRACK Solutions GmbH marks a significant step forward for Europe’s rail-technology ecosystem. Situated in Austria, this state-of-the-art centre is engineered to support the full cycle of rail-vehicle and subsystem validation, offering both static and dynamic testing environments. According to INFRATRACK, the facility is designed to act as a high-capacity innovation hub where manufacturers, infrastructure managers and digital-systems developers can verify performance, safety and regulatory compliance under one roof. This consolidation of capabilities addresses a long-standing industry need: reducing the fragmentation and time-intensive logistics associated with conducting multiple tests at various locations across Europe. As digitalisation continues to reshape rolling-stock engineering and operations, INFRATRACK’s offering aligns with a broader shift toward integrated, software-centric railway systems.

At the core of the facility’s mission is the seamless integration of mechanical, electronic and digital technologies. INFRATRACK highlights that the centre will host advanced platforms for sensor calibration, software-in-the-loop (SiL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing, as well as real-time behaviour modelling for safety-critical applications. Dynamic testing areas will enable rail vehicles to be evaluated under diverse load, vibration, and environmental conditions—an essential capability as the European rail sector accelerates the introduction of autonomous inspection systems, predictive-maintenance algorithms and high-speed components. Additionally, INFRATRACK notes that automated data-pipe workflows will allow test results to be fed directly into certification, lifecycle-management and simulation tools, dramatically reducing turnaround times. This level of digital automation resonates strongly with the EU’s Rail System Pillar objectives, which emphasise interoperability, standardisation and reduced certification complexity across member states.

Beyond engineering validation, the facility is poised to influence the future of European rail competitiveness. By offering a centralised, high-efficiency testing environment, the new site gives manufacturers—especially mid-size suppliers and technology startups—access to infrastructure that would typically require substantial capital investment. This not only lowers innovation barriers but also enhances supply-chain resilience by keeping European testing capabilities geographically close to the region’s major manufacturing corridors. INFRATRACK underscores that the facility will operate with an “open-innovation” philosophy, welcoming collaborative research with universities, industry consortia and EU-funded pilot programmes. With global rail markets increasingly focused on digital automation, lightweight vehicle platforms and eco-efficiency, Austria’s new testing infrastructure will help ensure that European technologies remain internationally competitive. Ultimately, the launch of INFRATRACK’s facility represents more than a new testbed—it is an investment in the future architecture of rail mobility, where digital and mechanical engineering converge to deliver safer, cleaner and smarter railway systems for decades to come.