Since 2011 Michel Geubelle has been involved in RNE’s work as a stand-in for the General Assembly (GA), and in May 2021, he was elected to the Management Board.
As Vice President of RNE, he is responsible for overseeing all IT , a role that aligns with his extensive background in this field.
In addition, Michel is involved in the Rail Freight Corridors, serving as Manager of the Rail Freight Corridor Department at Infrabel and as a member of the Management Board for the Rail Freight Corridors North Sea-Baltic, Rhine Alpine and North Sea Med.
RNE: Michel, which business areas are you responsible for at RNE and why?
Michel Geubelle: As Vice President of RNE, I am responsible for IT, which aligns with my background in the field.
My career began as an environmental engineer in the Belgian parliament, but I soon transitioned into IT and then eventually becoming Customer Director at Infrabel. In this role, I supported the development of an IT tool enabling Railway Undertakings (RUs) to meet their obligations to their Infrastructure Manager (IM). Furthermore, I became involved in the Rail Freight Corridors (RFCs) and soon after I had the opportunity to take on a role with a strong European dimension, becoming Manager of the RFC Department at Infrabel.
Today, I am an Managing Board Member of the RFC North Sea-Baltic, Rhine Alpine and North Sea Med and oversee the implementation of data exchanges between Infrabel and international stakeholders, as well as TAF/TAP TSI (Technical Specification for Interoperability relating to Telematics Applications for Freight/Passenger Services), which will soon evolve into the new Telematics TSI.
In 2011, I became stand-in for RNE’s GA and, in May 2021, was elected to the Management Board. Given my extensive IT experience, it was a natural progression to focus on IT as Vice President of RNE, where I now oversee all IT operations, general IT and TimeTable Redesign (TTR) IT.
RNE: How do you see the development of RNE?
Michel Geubelle:
The only word I can say is: spectacular.
It all began with just a few people starting a small association 20 years ago, driven by a shared vision. Now, I strongly believe we will become the Network Coordinator. For years, we have supported the harmonisation of processes across Europe’s railway sector, and we will continue along this path, aiming to become a future pillar in the Capacity Management Regulation.
The growth of RNE’s workforce is also a clear sign of its success valuable work. We started with around 10 employees, and today RNE has grown to approximately 70 staff members.
RNE: Do you envisage any challenges between your RNE responsibilities and your tasks for your national Infrastructure Manager, in your case Infrabel?
Michel Geubelle: It depends on how you define challenges. When I serve on the Board of RNE, I do not represent Infrabel. I am someone who aims to promote international development, and harmonisation across Europe. I never take any action or decision in favour of Infrabel, but I make a clear split between Infrabel and RNE. And of course, some tasks, overlap, for instance the data exchange TAF/TAB TSI, which I manage both at Infrabel and RNE.
Another challenge is my agenda, meaning balancing my schedule. Nearly 40% of my time is dedicated to RNE tasks, and I am very thankful to Infrabel for allowing me to contribute so much time to the vision of a seamless, international rail traffic across Europe. Additionally, coordinating schedules for Board meetings can be a project for itself, given the busy schedules of all Board members. But, we always manage, and I sometimes joke that I see Guus and Oliver more than my girlfriend. 😊
RNE: Are there any anecdotes from your years with RNE you would like to share with us?
Michel Geubelle: I actually have two anecdotes to share.
When I first started collaborating with RNE as a stand-in member of the General Assembly, I was quite impressed by the setting in the beautiful Palais Ferstel in Vienna, surrounded by all the European Infrastructure Managers. It wasn’t exactly a piece of cake for me to take the floor for the first time and present my inputs – especially since I hadn’t spoken English regularly for about 10 years. So, I decided to spend a few weeks in intensive English lessons to regain my proficiency and feel confident speaking before an international audience.
The second anecdote is from last year, in 2023, when I had the honour of giving a speech at the RNE Awards to celebrate Josef Stahl and his remarkable career. It was a very emotional moment for me, as I’ve known Josef for 20 years, and we’ve always had a lot of valuable exchange. So, it was quite moving to be the one handing over the RNE Award to him.
RNE: If you could make a wish for RNE’s future – what would it be?
Michel Geubelle: My wish is for RNE to stay an operational organisation and not get lost in the political sphere. Of course, we need to share information with political actors, such as the EIM, CER, the European Commission, Ministries of Transport, and our members. But RNE’s strongest advantage, in my view, is its focus on railway operations, specifically, Capacity Management, Traffic Management, IT tools, and so on. At RNE, we concentrate more on the technical side more than on lobbying, and I believe it’s vital to keep that distinction. Otherwise, we risk compromising our integrity.
RNE: Are there any topics you would like to raise, Michel?
Michel Geubelle: In addition to my wish for RNE to remain an operational organisation, I would also wish for us to preserve the international spirit that RNE has built. Especially in meetings, I hope that all participants focus on the vision of a connected European railway and set aside their national approaches to doing business. What might be the best way for your country isn’t always the best way for Europe as a whole.
RNE: Lastly, two specific questions regarding your expertise in IT.
IT is one of the main enablers of RNE’s success, where do you see the main challenges for a European IT setup?
Michel Geubelle: First of all, IT is a tool – an important one – but it is still just a tool, not a miracle solution. The key to success lies in clearly defining the processes. Without well-defined processes, no IT can effectively solve any problem. RNE’s role is to support stakeholders with the processes they have defined.
The second crucial point is that RNE’s IT tools are not stand-alone solutions. IMs and RUs must develop their own tools, for instance, to send and receive data. We must understand that it’s not just about RNE completing an IT tool and considering the job done. It’s about involving all partners and supporting them in developing their own tools that can communicate with RNE’s systems.
Good communication and active involvement of all partners in the development of well-defined processes and resulting IT tools are key factors to success.
RNE: How do you see the different roles of the entities connected to the European IT development?
Michel Geubelle: My initial thought about involving so many stakeholders was: “Oh, challenging.” But it turned out that engaging different partners provides a valuable opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the processes we need to manage. It gives us the necessary feedback to understand what tools are used by our customers and why a tool delivers value. Ultimately, if no one uses it because we haven’t communicated enough, the added value of our work would be zero.
Once again, I want to stress that our cooperation with entities like the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) should not operate on a political level, but on an operational one, and this distinction must be clearly defined. However, I personally hope we can maintain the same level of cooperation with ERA in the future.
It’s not just ERA that we cooperate with. We also collaborate through the Platform of Rail Infrastructure Managers in Europe (PRIME) digital. It’s a full exchange between RNE, numerous stakeholders, the European Commission, ERA, and others on all the EU-level IT developments. At the beginning of PRIME, RNE had to assert its role and clarify that we don’t make decisions on behalf of IMs – we coordinate. But the way we communicate now is a real added value for the entire railway sector when it comes to IT.