This article presents a review of cutting-edge technologies poised to shape the future of railway transportation systems, focusing on enhancing their intelligence, safety, and environmental sustainability. It illustrates key aspects of the energy-transport-information/communication system nexus as a framework for future railway systems development. Initially, we provide a review of the existing challenges within the realm of railway transportation. Subsequently, we delve into the realm of emerging propulsion technologies, which are pivotal for ensuring the sustainability of transportation. These include innovative solutions such as alternative fuel-based systems, hydrogen fuel cells, and energy storage technologies geared towards harnessing kinetic energy and facilitating power transfer. In the following section, we turn our attention to emerging information and telecommunication systems, including Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and fifth generation New Radio (5G NR) networks tailored for railway applications. Additionally, we delve into the integral role played by the Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT) in this evolving landscape. Concluding our analysis, we examine the integration of information and communication technologies and remote sensor networks within the context of Industry 4.0. This leveraging of information pertaining to transportation infrastructure promises to bolster energy efficiency, safety, and resilience in the transportation ecosystem. Furthermore, we examine the significance of the smart grid in the realm of railway transport, along with the indispensable resources required to bring forth the vision of energy-smart railways.

The introduction of Poland (2004) and Croatia (2013) into the European Union presented the challenge of modernising ageing rail rolling stock equipped with DC traction motors, operating under limited financial and technical resources. In both countries, older and modernised vehicles remain largely equipped with DC traction motors: in Poland, about 86% of electric locomotives, 77% of EMUs, 68% of trams, 29% of metro trains (expected to fall to 0% by 2025), and 8% of trolleybuses use this technology. Although these numbers have declined rapidly over the last decade, DC traction motors have played a crucial transitional role, enabling effective modernisation and extending vehicle life while postponing the costly purchase of new AC-motor rolling stock. In 2022, Ukraine became an EU candidate country and faced similar challenges in aligning its transport sector with European standards. This review analyses the re-engineering strategies adopted in Poland and Croatia, focusing on the technical, organisational, and policy measures that supported sustainable fleet renewal. Using a comparative method based on documentation, case studies, and reports (2004–2024), this study shows that re-engineering can extend service life by 15–25 years, reduce energy use by up to 20%, and improve reliability by 30–40%. Recommendations are outlined for Ukraine’s future modernisation strategy.

In 2004, the EU expanded with new central and Eastern European countries, including Poland. In 2013, Croatia entered the EU, while Ukraine 2022 became an official candidate to join the EU. In May 2024, the 20th Anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU. In the first half of 2025, Poland took the presidency of the EU. It is worth presenting how, within these twenty years, the situation of rail rolling stock in railways and urban transport changed. Experience in the modernisation of old type of rail rolling stock with DC motors during a transition phase of railways with limited resources and long-term transformation of technology by local rolling stock companies in EU countries like Poland and Croatia. The paper briefly reviews the modernisation of DC-driven electric traction vehicles with examples of technical problems encountered in Poland and Croatia. The experience from Polish and Croatian cases may be useful for countries awaiting to join the EU, such as Ukraine, where the role of railway transport, still using mainly rolling stock with DC motors, is significant. Some concepts of modernisation of railway rolling stock in Ukraine are proposed and discussed.