5. Conclusion

Effective obsolescence management requires a partnership between all stakeholders, i.e. the asset owner, the operator or infrastructure manager, the rolling stock manufacturer and equipment suppliers.

This partnership must be built around a formal obsolescence management plan. It enables railway players to ensure that the operational life of equipment can be extended well beyond the time scales supported by low-level product manufacturers and software suppliers.

So, despite the disposable culture of consumer markets, the rail industry should always use systems whose operational life is counted in decades rather than years.

The training of new generations of technicians and engineers must also enable us to meet these industrial challenges of preserving knowledge and historical heritage.