On 10 June 2026, the 5th edition of the TRESPAD conference brought together railway professionals, researchers, AI and technology experts, suicide prevention experts and psychiatrists from around the world. The event provided a platform to share knowledge and explore innovative approaches to trespass prevention, railway safety, human factors, and emerging technologies.
The conference was officially opened by Dr Ann Mills, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), Chair of the UIC TreSP Network and Vice Chair of the UIC Safety Platform, followed by a screening of the new TRESPAD video.
Preventing railway trespass: a multi-dimensional approach
The morning sessions explored the issue of trespass from a range of perspectives, including operational, behavioural, technological, and human-centred approaches.
A key highlight was a panel discussion led by SNCF Réseau, which demonstrated how SNCF Groupe is making use of large-scale reporting systems, advanced data analysis, geomatics, cognitive science, and public awareness campaigns to better understand trespassing behaviour and implement targeted prevention strategies.
International insights were also shared by experts from:
- RSSB (Great Britain) on defining requirements for effective trespass signage
- Transport Research Centre (Czech Republic) on understanding the impact of train-person incidents on train drivers
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences (Croatia), examining multiple perspectives on railway trespassing
- Network Rail (Great Britain) who delivered a cross-industry strategy for visual surveillance
- ENSCO, Inc. (USA) who gave a presentation on using cellular GPS data for trespass hot-spot detection
- Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida (USA), who explored AI-enabled and connected technologies to prevent trespass and suicide incidents
Discover the new TRESPAD video in English: https://lnkd.in/eSDCGb36
Railway suicide prevention: a shared responsibility
The afternoon sessions focused on suicide prevention in railway environments, bringing together clinical experts, railway undertakings, researchers, and safety practitioners to discuss international best practices.
Discussions centred on how the railway sector can better understand, anticipate, and prevent suicidal crises through a comprehensive, system-wide approach that combines infrastructure design, technology, human factors, healthcare expertise, and cross-sector collaboration.
Key themes included:
- Railway suicide prevention strategies
- Technology, AI, and data analytics for safety enhancement
- Human, medical, psychological, and communication approaches to prevention
Participating organisations included: UIC, SNCF Groupe, SNCF Réseau, PAPAGENO, Karolinska Institutet (NASP), Trafikverket, ProRail and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS).
A clear message emerged throughout the conference: effective suicide prevention on the railway network requires a genuinely shared responsibility, bringing together engineering, healthcare, research, operations and communication to create safer environments for everyone.
Supporting partners, sponsors, and exhibitors
A particular thank you goes to SNCF Réseau for sponsoring four technical visits on 11 June, including one in Valenciennes, jointly organised with and supported by Railenium. These visits gave participants valuable insight into railway safety initiatives and operational best practices in the field.
Many thanks also to all of the sponsors and exhibitors for supporting both the 18th edition of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) and the 5th edition of TRESPAD, and for helping make these international events in Paris a success.
Throughout the conferences, participants had the opportunity to discover innovative rail safety solutions and technologies presented by industry leaders, railway undertakings, and safety experts, including SNCF Groupe (France), Wavetrain Systems (Norway), IMOTION Analytics (Spain), Hitachi (France), IDS (Italy), Schweizer Electronic (France), Zöllner GmbH (Germany), Gmundener Fertigteile-Bodan (Austria), East Japan Railway Company (Japan, Paris Office), IHI Corporation (Japan), Sankosha Co. Ltd. (Japan), and Universal Signalling (United Kingdom).
Additional exhibitors also joined the events, including Michelin Truckfly at ILCAD on 9 June, and 3114, the French national suicide prevention helpline, at TRESPAD on 10 June.
