Unlocking Digital Collaboration: The MINERVE Project as Catalyst for the Railway Infrastructure

The railway sector brings together heterogeneous industry bodies and actors to design, build, and operate railway systems. The digitalization of the rail sector is supported by numerous technologies and the abundant developments go beyond the organization level and require coordination at the sectorial level. As French railway infrastructure manager, SNCF Réseau has launched the innovative research and development project MINERVE. This project brings together the main players in the French rail sector to build a collaborative ecosystem around railway infrastructures challenges and to develop a shared vision of digital continuity. The challenges addressed in MINERVE are related to the transition towards a more efficient, reliable, and environment-friendly railway operation by designing and building with collaborative digital methods and tools. The main objective is to reduce the overall cost and impact of the railway system while increasing collaboration between stakeholders. MINERVE outcomes are related to specific, standardized, and interoperable methods and tools, for all technical fields, and that can be implemented and adopted by all stakeholders. The MINERVE project is a one-of-a-kind project to unlock digital collaboration at the sectorial French industry level to improve the life span of the infrastructure as well as the environmental performance of railway projects including biodiversity and resilience to climate change.