Software-Centric vs. Hardware-Centric in Rolling Stock Systems Design

Modern rolling stock design is undergoing a profound digital transformation. The industry is steadily shifting away from rigid, hardware-bound architectures toward flexible, software-centric, modular, and decoupled systems. This evolution is driven by the growing demand for increased capacity, enhanced safety, multisupplier integration, faster upgrade cycles, and improved operational efficiency across the entire rail network.

This white paper explores the technological, operational, and strategic implications of this shift—providing decision-makers, engineers, and industry leaders with a clear understanding of what a software-defined future means for railway systems. You will discover:

• The inherent limitations of hardware-centric train control systems, and why they are no longer sufficient to meet the operational and lifecycle demands of modern railways.
• How software-centric, modular TCMS platforms transform trains into integrated, adaptable, upgradeable assets capable of evolving over decades.
• Strategies for balancing digital transformation with operational reliability and safety, ensuring that innovation never compromises mission-critical performance.
• The role of COTS platforms, virtualisation, predictive maintenance, real-time analytics, and digital twins in enabling smarter, more efficient, and more resilient rail operations.
• How to manage cybersecurity risks and ensure compliance with safety-critical certification within increasingly decoupled, software-defined environments.
• A roadmap for evolving today’s rolling stock into a connected, interoperable, and future-ready rail ecosystem.