The NEXUS Podcast Show: five conversations on the future of urban rail

Urban rail sits at the heart of how Europe’s cities move, yet the research that shapes it rarely reaches the people who rely on it every day. The NEXUS podcast sets out to change that. Launched as a series of five episodes, it takes listeners behind the scenes of the NEXUS project, part of the Europe’s Rail programme, and gives a voice to the researchers and engineers working on the next generation of metro systems. Each episode is hosted by Nik Schulze-Makuch from UITP and brings together partners from across the project to explain what they do, why it matters and what it means for passengers and operators.

The series opens with a broad introduction. In the first episode, Pietro De Vito from STAM explains why NEXUS was set up and what it aims to achieve. He describes a project built on collaboration, where industry partners, universities and research centres pool their expertise to make urban rail smarter, greener and more attractive. It is a useful starting point for listeners new to the project, and it frames the more specialised conversations that follow.

The second episode turns to a question every operator has to answer: how many people travel, where and when? Lissa de Souza Campos from STAM and Francis Tong from Aston University discuss demand modelling and the role it plays in planning services around real passenger needs. Their conversation shows how data and modelling tools help operators understand travel patterns and make better decisions about capacity and service levels, turning complex calculations into choices that passengers feel on the platform.

From how people travel, the series moves to what they travel in. In the third episode, Sara Soltani from Siemens and Markus Haferl from TU Wien explore the train of the future. They look at interior design that puts passengers first, from comfort and accessibility to flexible layouts, and consider where train control technology fits into the wider picture. The result is a conversation about how design and engineering come together to shape the everyday experience of riding a metro.

The fourth episode tackles one of the most discussed topics in transport today: artificial intelligence. Alexander Zincke from Virtual Vehicle Research and Nikolaos Avgerinos from Performance Technologies discuss where AI adds real value in metro operations and where caution is needed. As systems become more connected, cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought, and the episode makes the case for building it in from the start.

The series closes by zooming out. In the final episode, Merve Demirkan-Aydogan from the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking places NEXUS within the wider Europe’s Rail programme, reflecting on what the project brings to the sector and how its results feed into the broader effort to strengthen rail research in Europe.

Taken together, the five episodes offer an accessible way into a complex field. Each runs for around 15 to 20 minutes, short enough to fit into a commute, and together they paint a picture of a sector in transition, driven by people who care about how cities move. All episodes are available now on Spotify and YouTube