The language barriers between EU Member States remain one of the main obstacles to seamless rail freight operations. Italy and Slovenia are now running a pilot project with a simultaneous translation tool at two rail border crossings and a station.
The tests are part of the T4RAIL initiative. At the border crossings of Villa Opicina and Nova Gorica and at the Udine Parco station, predefined messages between train operators and signallers were automatically translated to ensure clear communication.
The project was launched in April 2024 and it is now nearing its end. Once the tests are carried out, the last step entails the “evaluation of the impact of the digitisation of railway procedures at the border on the territory of the Programme Area”. The initiative is requiring a little over 1,1 million euros, with almost 900,000 coming from the European Regional Development Fund.