Cyber Senate names first speakers for 2027 rail cybersecurity summit

Cyber Senate has announced the first speakers for its 13th Annual Rail Cybersecurity Summit, set for London on 9–10 March 2027. The agenda reflects how AI, connected trains, software-dependent systems and supply-chain risk are reshaping rail security, resilience and regulation.

Why it matters: - Rail operators are facing a broader cyber threat surface as connected rolling stock, software-defined infrastructure, AI and third-party technology become more embedded in daily operations. - The summit will focus on how the rail sector protects safety, resilience and operational continuity as digital dependency grows.

What happened: - Cyber Senate announced the first speakers for the 13th Annual Rail Cybersecurity Summit. - The summit takes place in London on 9–10 March 2027 at The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch. - Ciaran Martin CB, former founding CEO of the UK National Cyber Security Centre, will open the event. - Martin will be joined by rail and cybersecurity leaders from Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Bane NOR, Northern, Germany's Eisenbahn-Bundesamt and the UK's Office of Rail and Road.

The details: - Dimitri van Zantvliet, Director Digital Resilience/CISO at Nederlandse Spoorwegen, will discuss the overlap between cybersecurity and artificial intelligence and how rail organisations should prepare for autonomous cyber threats. - Joseph Mager, Cyber Governance at Nederlandse Spoorwegen, will share early lessons from NIS2 implementation and what the new regulatory environment means for governance, accountability and cyber risk management. - Tom Remberg, CISO at Bane NOR, and Trond Eskild Tingstad-Stav from Traffic Management will examine how Bane NOR defines its Minimum Viable Company to build a defendable and resilient railway. - The Bane NOR session will focus on identifying the functions that must continue during major disruption so organisations can prioritise resilience, business continuity and cybersecurity spending. - Northern's session, “The Connected Train: Who Controls the Data?”, will cover onboard connectivity, satellite and LEO communications, data sovereignty, encryption, supplier dependencies and control over externally provided networks and technology. - Dr Frank Werner of the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt IT Security Taskforce will look at the link between railway safety oversight and cybersecurity, including European regulation, NIS2 and German critical-infrastructure requirements. - Senior representatives from the UK's Office of Rail and Road will examine how software, operational technology and cyber risk are becoming part of the wider digital safety landscape. - The 2027 programme will also address AI-enabled and autonomous cyber threats, connected rolling stock, digital safety, emerging regulation, incident response, asset visibility, remote access and software-dependent railway systems. - Key themes will include data sovereignty, supply-chain dependency and operational resilience.

Between the lines: - The summit agenda shows the rail sector is moving from perimeter-based security toward managing risk across cloud platforms, remote connectivity, onboard systems, digital signalling, satellite communications and third-party software. - Jamison Nesbitt, founder and director of Cyber Senate, said rail cybersecurity has shifted from protecting individual systems and meeting compliance requirements to managing interconnected technologies, external service providers and faster-moving threats enabled by AI. - The comments point to a growing tension between operational efficiency and control, as more rail functions rely on systems outside the traditional railway perimeter. - Cyber Senate is pairing keynote talks with extended operator-led roundtable discussions, signaling a focus on practical peer comparison rather than only policy discussion.

What's next: - Cyber Senate said more speakers and programme details will be announced over the coming months. - Operational Risk Council, Cyber Senate's sister brand, will host the Rail Supply Chain Roundtable Forum in London on 10 November 2026. - That forum will bring together leaders from Network Rail, GBR Anglia, DfT Operator, East West Rail, Jacobs and others to discuss integration, supplier collaboration, engineering assurance, operational readiness and shared accountability across rail supply chains. - More information is available through Cyber Senate's LinkedIn group and Cyber Senate on Facebook.

The bottom line: - Rail cybersecurity is now a systems-and-supply-chain issue, not just an IT problem.