Summit Overview 💡

Now in its 13th edition, the Rail Cybersecurity Summit 2027 is one of the rail sector’s longest-running forums dedicated to railway cybersecurity, operational resilience and the protection of operational technology (OT) and digitally connected rail environments.

Modern railways are becoming increasingly dependent on interconnected software, communications networks, operational technology, rolling stock systems, digital maintenance platforms and complex multi-tier supplier ecosystems. Modern trains are moving assets and increasingly moving data centres, generating, processing and transmitting operational, diagnostic and passenger data while connecting to a growing ecosystem of suppliers, communications providers, cloud platforms and external infrastructure.

This growing connectivity creates a fundamental challenge for the sector: who controls the technology, the data and the dependencies on which the railway now relies? Railway organisations remain accountable for safe and resilient operations even where critical systems, communications, software and services are designed, supplied, maintained or controlled by third parties.

The 2027 Summit will examine cybersecurity across the connected railway and its supply chain, including supplier assurance and procurement, rolling stock and onboard systems, communications and satellite connectivity, software and component dependencies, vulnerability management, legacy technology, data sovereignty, positioning and navigation integrity, security monitoring, incident response and the resilience of critical railway operations.

Discussions will also explore the changing regulatory and safety environment, including the integration of software, OT and cyber risk into railway safety management, emerging UK requirements, European developments including NIS2, and the practical challenge of applying cybersecurity requirements throughout long railway asset and supplier lifecycles.

Bringing together rail operators, infrastructure managers, rolling stock manufacturers, OEMs, suppliers, regulators, government stakeholders and cybersecurity leaders, the Summit provides an operator-led forum to examine not simply how railway systems can be protected, but how the industry can understand and manage its growing digital dependencies and continue operating safely when critical systems, communications or suppliers are disrupted.