From 9 to 11 June 2026, the UIC Security Department organised the second SafeTravellers project railway pilot, held at UIC headquarters, offering a glimpse into the future of secure and seamless rail travel. The pilot simulated a cross-border train journey, showcasing how biometric passports and mobile enrolment applications can streamline identity checks for both passengers and border guards.
Approximately 50 participants, including border control professionals, technology providers and UIC staff, took part in realistic scenarios designed to evaluate SafeTravellers’ innovative identity verification solutions and provide feedback on usability, efficiency and traveller experience.
In addition to the pilot runs which tested mobile scenarios, participants were able to explore a series of live demonstrations presenting the different technologies developed within the project. These included, among others, the testing of the BioPod solution in a fixed scenario, highlighting its potential for enhancing identity checks in railway environments.
The third day of the pilot welcomed external observers, including representatives from the European Commission, Frontex, the French Ministry of the Interior, and Eurostar. They provided valuable insight, reinforcing the project’s relevance for European border management stakeholders.
The SafeTravellers project seeks to transform border management by integrating multimodal biometrics and secure digital identity frameworks into transport systems. This second pilot provided a controlled environment to assess how these innovations can be tailored to the unique requirements of the railway sector.
Beyond proving the technical feasibility of the technologies tested, the pilot underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in building a more secure, efficient and user-friendly travel experience.
A special note of appreciation goes to the UIC colleagues who volunteered to be test passengers, representing departments such as Sustainability, Institutional Relations, Rail System, Freight, Operations and Safety, Passenger, IT and more. Their engagement with the Security Department in this activity was key to the success of the simulation and the richness of the feedback collected.
You can learn more about the SafeTravellers project on the project website here, or follow us on LinkedIn.
