About Oliver von Sperber

Oliver is an entrepreneur, technology expert, and rail innovator who brings experience from investment banking and sensor technology to the railway sector. As the founder of AXO, he focuses on making rail infrastructure more resilient through smart, data-driven predictive maintenance.

With a background in forestry, he takes a long-term view of infrastructure—seeing railways as complex systems and vital public goods that require sustainable, generational thinking.

About AXO

AXO enhances the stability of rail networks by providing specialized sensor systems for rail switches. As critical infrastructure nodes, switches are essential for capacity and safe operations, yet remain maintenance-intensive and prone to failure.

With around 20% of infrastructure-related train delays caused by switch failures, AXO focuses on practical solutions to prevent disruptions. By detecting anomalies early, its technology enables infrastructure managers to take preventive action before operations are affected. AXO’s mission is to strengthen the long-term reliability and resilience of railways as a vital public good.

https://axotrack.de/

My Key Takeaways

• A single failed railway switch can disrupt an entire journey — that’s why people avoid tight connections.
• Railways and forests have more in common than you think: both are complex systems managed over decades.
• There are ~60,000 switches in Germany alone — each one a potential failure point.
• Just one local defect can trigger system-wide delays, showing how fragile rail networks are.
• In rail, every minute of delay costs ~€100 — small issues quickly become expensive.
• AXO sensors measure extreme forces up to 500 G, far beyond lab expectations.
• Early field tests completely destroyed the hardware, revealing real-world conditions.
• Instead of “AI-first,” AXO focused on understanding physics and data first.
• The mission is to digitize the intuition of experienced technicians before it disappears.
• The opportunity is global: high-speed, heavy haul, and metro systems all face the same challenge.

• 
  

Sebastian Sperker

sebastian@railup.club

https://www.railup.club/

About Vicky Alman

Vicky, CEO of NIART Systems, a distinguished engineer who holds two advanced degrees, bringing a background from the highly regulated aerospace sector to the rail industry. At NIART, she leads the application of advanced AI and sensor technology to create predictive rail infrastructure. As a recognized industry leader, she specializes in the digital transformation of rail, focusing on how these innovations mitigate supply chain risk and eliminate the massive, hidden financial costs associated with incidents and infrastructure failures. She offers a crucial, data-driven perspective for global rail professionals.

About NIART Systems

The company offers a unique radar-powered railway obstacle detection solution. Uncovering hidden obstacles and providing real-time insights in any condition, NIART aims to transform the rail industry by offering a solution that prevents accidents, reduces delays, and accelerates the shift towards safer, smarter and more reliable railways.

https://niart-systems.com/

About Lido Costa

Lido was the Lead Technical Engineer for the AutoHaul® Driverless Trains system for Rio Tinto, Australia, responsible for system integration, hardware and software architecture approval, and safety assurance strategy.Over the past five years, he has served as an Expert Consultant to DB Cargo (German Railways) on the ATO/RTO Betuwe Project — Europe’s first freight ATO and Remote Train Operation initiative — and is also an Expert Consultant with NIART Perception Systems.With over 35 years’ experience in railway signalling, communications, and control systems, Lido has held senior roles on major projects across Europe (including the Madrid–Seville High Speed Line), Asia, Africa, and Australia.He is a Chartered Professional Engineer (Australia), a Fellow of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (FIRSE, UK), and winner of the 2021 Australasian Rail Industry Awards – Signalling and Systems Engineering Award.

My Key Takeaways

• Perception is the “eyes and ears” of autonomous trains — without it, autonomy is blind.
• Rail automation is reaching its limits with rule-based systems; higher capacity and safety demands push the next step.
• Sensor fusion (radar + cameras) is essential — no single sensor is reliable enough on its own.
• NIART (train spelled backwards) brings aerospace-grade, mission-critical engineering into rail.
• AutoHaul is called the “largest robot in the world.”
• The trains are massive: 2.5 km long, up to ~40,000 tons, fully automated in mainline operation.
• Biggest business driver: avoiding driver-change stops — restarting a 40,000-ton train costs serious time and fuel.
• Unexpected benefit: highly consistent driving reduces wear variability and improves maintenance planning.
• Fun fact: Western Australia reportedly has more camels than Saudi Arabia — and trains regularly encounter them.
• Next evolution: adding onboard perception systems to further reduce residual risks and increase flexibility and safety.

Sebastian Sperker

sebastian@railup.club

https://www.railup.club/

About Milan

Milan Karunaratne is a Vice President at Wabtec with nearly two decades of experience pioneering digital solutions in rail transportation across GE and Wabtec. He leads the global Digital Advanced Technology organization within the Office of the CTO, bringing a startup-style approach to innovation within a large enterprise. A Railway Age "25 Under 40" award recipient with an MS in Mechanical Engineering (Stony Brook) and MBA (UCLA), Milan and his team specialize in translating emerging technologies like automation, robotics, and AI into production-ready solutions that deliver measurable impact to safety, reliability, and operational performance.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation is revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations. The Company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets.

https://www.wabteccorp.com/

My Key Takeaways

• Big players can innovate too – As Wabtec’s history shows, even long-established rail companies can reshape the industry when innovation is taken seriously.
• Autonomy is a must for the future – It’s not hype, but essential to improve safety, efficiency, and rail’s competitiveness against road transport.
• Rail is already a high-tech system – Rail networks are among the most complex and data-rich platforms in the world.
• Maverick is the North Star – The Maverick project represents the long-term vision for autonomous rail, especially in shunting and local operations.
• Pathfinder delivers value today – A pragmatic upgrade that brings modern digital, safety, and automation capabilities to existing locomotives.
• Big innovation happens in steps – Breakthroughs come from many smaller innovations, not one giant leap.
• Autonomy needs the whole system – Locomotives, yards, IT, data, and processes must evolve together.
• Humans stay in the loop – Automation supports people; it doesn’t replace them.
• Safety and regulation come first – Rail autonomy must respect the unique physical and operational constraints of rail.
• Get your hands dirty – Real innovation means experimenting, iterating, failing fast, and learning by doing.

Sebastian Sperker

https://www.railup.club/

sebastian@railup.club