The railway sector is entering a new phase. The pressure to decarbonize, expand capacity, and digitize operations coexists with an uncomfortable reality: more variants, more onboard electronics and software, and less margin for error. Major OEMs have already made their move and are standardizing their engineering around a single digital thread, with the virtual twin at the core.
For a supplier, this is not “just another tool.” It is a different way of designing, validating, and collaborating with the end customer. And those who align first gain commercial and technical speed.
Three challenges redefining the work of the railway supplier
1 – Variants and constant changes without losing control
Current programs combine common platforms with country-, operator-, and regulation-specific configurations. Without robust configuration management, changes turn into late redesigns, BOM errors, and cascading delays. Modularization and part standardization are no longer “internal improvements”: they are a requirement to compete.
2 – Accelerated certification with multidisciplinary virtual validation
Rail certification requires exhaustive testing, but physical prototypes do not scale with increasingly shorter programs. The sector is pushing early virtual validation to reduce iterations and avoid surprises at the end of the project. Here, the key is not to simulate more, but to simulate by connecting disciplines and requirements from the start.
3 – True continuity between engineering–plant–service
A train operates for 30–50 years, and a huge portion of its total cost lies in maintenance. That is why OEMs demand design focused on reliability, maintainability, and availability, with full traceability from requirements to operations. If engineering, manufacturing, and service do not share data and versions, costs rise and quality drops.
How 3DEXPERIENCE fits into this new landscape
A single digital thread for variants, requirements, and changes
The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform integrates requirements, configurations, versions, changes, and BOM into a single collaborative environment. This allows the supplier to work with the OEM on the same database, with end-to-end traceability and no silos.
MODSIM: design and simulation without “phase jumps”
The MODSIM approach continuously connects CAD and CAE. Simulation stops being a “checkpoint” and becomes a driver of early decisions, accelerating virtual certification. Fewer prototypes, fewer iterations, and greater technical confidence with the customer.
Digital industrialization with DELMIA
When the engineering BOM is connected to the manufacturing BOM and assembly processes, changes flow to the plant without friction. DELMIA enables validation of assembly, tooling, and sequences virtually before cutting metal.
Virtual Twin to design with the lifecycle ahead
The railway virtual twin does not stop at design: it extends to predictive maintenance and fleet optimization, using real operational data. This allows a supplier to demonstrate reliability, durability, and lifecycle cost of its component before manufacturing.
The standard is already set
OEMs such as Alstom and CAF already work with 3DEXPERIENCE as the backbone of engineering, industrialization, and service, and this is redefining how the product is designed, validated, and evolved together with the entire supply chain.
How CADTECH supports railway suppliers
CADTECH supports railway suppliers in this end-to-end transition, helping them connect engineering, simulation, industrialization, and lifecycle within a single digital thread. The goal is for each company to move from its starting point toward a more integrated and traceable working model, capable of responding with agility to variants, virtual certification, and real continuity between design and plant, with a direct impact on timelines, quality, and competitiveness.
Conclusion
If the virtual twin and the digital thread are already the foundation of the new railway model, the challenge for suppliers is to turn that vision into a real way of working. CADTECH supports them on this comprehensive transformation journey, combining technology, processes, and adoption so that the move to 3DEXPERIENCE translates into measurable results across the entire value chain.
CADTECH Communications Department
comunicacion@cadtech.es – 800 007 177