The rail transportation is marked by a strong and growing competitive intensity, not only among rail operators but also with the other ways of transport (low-cost airline companies, autocars, shared vehicles…) with at stake the vital issue of the advent of the autonomous vehicle.In a context of scarcity of public financing, those challenges worsen the imperative of cost competitiveness and service quality all along the value chain : operators, infrastructure managers, constructors, equipment manufacturers and service providers.