Black & White photo of a steam train in front of a train station in Wolstyn, Poland. In the background on the right hand side of the image, there are people standing on the platform, some are holding umbrellas.

Registration open to FEDECRAIL’s 2026 Conference

February 2, 2026 /

The town of Wolsztyn in Poland will be home to the next FEDECRAIL Conference from 26 to 29 March 2026. With Heritage Rail in Transition – Building the Future Together you can expect a programme taking on current challenges in preparing rail heritage institutions for the future.

The programme particularly looks at involving volunteers for the future. FEDECRAIL has created a framework – the Youth Upskill Programme – to train and win the next generation of volunteers. One morning session is dedicated to this particular approach. Furthermore, the conference highlights what currently moves the sector and keeps the institutions busy.

A Programme addressing pressing issues for the rail heritage sector

You can select from different topics during the afternoon session on 27 March. The formats run in parallel and cover a number of current matters in the sector:

  1. ERTMS & Mainline Running,
  2. Coal & The Future of Fossil Fuels,
  3. Tourism – How to Attract New Visitors,
  4. Funding & Financial Sustainability

Additionally, the excursions explore Poland’s rail heritage and the approach towards preserving the history while also responding to the ongoing development and technical advancement of the rail system. Another session looks at questions of preservation and collecting, with practical insights into preservation plans, deaccessioning approaches and more.

Red brick building in the town of Wolstyn, Poland

Moving FEDECRAIL forward

Apart from the excursions, the Saturday is particularly dedicated to FEDECRAIL’s Annual General Meeting. While the Working Group Sessions take place on Sunday before the conference concludes.

FEDECRAIL’s Working Groups are open to join and take on matters such as Tramways or the environment. One particular interest of the FEDECRAIL Future & Membership Needs Group is to explore member’s needs and expectations. “The group will also consider how FEDECRAIL can strengthen its role as a European voice, build better collaboration and visibility, and support younger volunteers, smaller organisations and countries with limited resources.”

Further information & registration

The finalized programme will be published in the next weeks. Interested participants can already register and decide on the session they want to attend later as well as arrange their accommodation. The conference fee ranges from 325 to 650 Euro covering all locations, lunches and the like.

Find out more at: https://fedecrail.org/events/conference-2026-wolsztyn-march-26-29-poland/

FEDECRAIL is an allied organization of IATM.