What Futurail does

Futurail is a Franco-German autonomous train technology startup founded in 2023 and headquartered in Strasbourg, France, with engineering operations in Munich, Germany. The company develops a holistic, safety-certified autonomy stack for self-driving trains, organized around two products: FUTURAIL Driver, the core software stack providing long-range obstacle detection (up to 400m at speeds up to 160 km/h, in all weather), precise localization (up to 10cm accuracy), and train-control modules including speed control, emergency braking, and remote operations; and FUTURAIL Integrate, the EN50155-certified multi-sensor hardware package (SIL0 Lidar, SIL0 Camera) with mechanical integration for new vehicle builds or fleet retrofits, plus a data-collection-optimized enclosure.

The company targets two primary customer segments on a horizontal basis: rail OEMs seeking first-mount integration of autonomous technology into newly built rolling stock, and train operators and infrastructure managers seeking retrofit deployment for existing fleets. Use cases span assisted autonomy, depot autonomy, branch-line autonomy, and main-line autonomy across both freight and passenger rail. Futurail operates an enterprise sales motion with quote-based pricing and multi-year contracts; its revenue model combines subscription/recurring software licensing with hardware integration services and technology partnership/co-development economics.

Futurail has secured flagship OEM partnerships with Lohr Industrie (European passenger railcars) and Parallel Systems (US automated freight), and raised a €7.5M seed round in September 2025 co-led by Asterion Ventures and Leap435, with EIT Urban Mobility, Zero Infinity Partners, and Heroic Ventures participating. Management comprises three co-founders — CEO Alex Haag (autonomy/serial entrepreneur), CTO Dr. Patrick Dendorfer (AI/computer vision), and CCO Maximilian Schöffer (mobility/strategy) — supported by advisors including a Principal ML Scientist, an Autonomy Safety Engineer, and a Rail Expert. The company's stated regulatory target is depot autonomy certification by 2028, with full driverless main-line operations targeted within six years.

Name

Futurail

Legal name

FUTURAIL

Website

https://futurail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Futurail is a Franco-German startup developing a safety-certified autonomy stack for self-driving trains, including perception, localization, and train-control software with EN50155-certified hardware. It serves rail OEMs and operators in Europe and the US via enterprise licensing and first-mount OEM partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Autonomy Software

SIC

Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment (3790)

akta.pro primary industry

Automatic Train Operation (ATO) Supervision & Regulation (TLAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Autonomous train technology
• Rail autonomy software
• Self-driving trains
• Rail sensor systems
• Train control systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Autonomous Train Software Licensing: Licensing of the full autonomy software stack for autonomous train operations, including obstacle detection, localization, and train control modules.
2. Hardware Integration Services: Hardware selection, design, and mechanical integration services for new vehicles or retrofit of existing fleets, including sensors, computing units, and enclosures.
3. Technology Partnership and Co-development: Strategic partnerships with OEMs and train operators for first-mount integration with newly built rolling stock and retrofit deployment solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Futurail develops a holistic autonomy stack for self-driving trains, comprising a full software stack for autonomous train operations (long-range obstacle detection, precise localization, speed control, emergency braking, and remote train operations) and an EN50155-certified multi-sensor hardware integration package for new vehicle builds or retrofits of existing fleets.

Product overview

Futurail offers a unified autonomous train technology platform comprising two main products: FUTURAIL Driver (the core software autonomy stack) and FUTURAIL Integrate (hardware integration package). The Driver software provides the brain of the autonomous system with obstacle detection, localization, and control capabilities, while the Integrate module delivers the EN50155-certified sensor hardware and computing units needed for deployment. Together they enable flexible deployment options including first-mount OEM integration for new rolling stock, retrofit solutions for existing fleets, and support for assisted autonomy, depot autonomy, branch line autonomy, and main line autonomy use cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FUTURAIL Driver Full autonomy software stack for autonomous train operations, providing long-range obstacle detection (up to 400m range, supporting speeds up to 160km/h, all-weather), precise localization (up to 10cm accuracy), and train control modules including speed control, emergency braking, and remote train operations. Built for rail OEMs and operators.
• FUTURAIL Integrate Hardware integration package providing selection, design, and mechanical integration of EN50155-certified multi-sensor systems (Lidar SIL0, Camera SIL0), computing units, and data storage optimized for efficient data collection and testing. Supports first-mount OEM integration for new rolling stock and retrofit deployment for existing fleets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rail transport expected to see fully autonomous trains on main lines within 5-6 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lohr IndustriecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership with Lohr Industrie for European passenger railcars, integrating Futurail's autonomous technology into European passenger rolling stock through first-mount OEM integration.
• Parallel SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Parallel Systems for US automated freight operations, positioning the company in the North American market for freight automation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Parallel Systems: US-based autonomous freight rail startup developing platooning autonomous rail vehicles. Direct competitor to Futurail in autonomous rail; also listed as a strategic partner, illustrating the thin line between competitor and collaborator in this nascent market.

Broad incumbents

• Alstom: French rail OEM and signaling giant with its own ATO and autonomous train programs (including GoA4 main-line pilots). Competes with Futurail on autonomy stack capabilities for both passenger and freight operators and benefits from incumbency with European rail customers.
• Siemens Mobility: German rail technology leader offering signaling, ATO, and ETCS solutions plus full rolling stock. Its Trainguard MT and ongoing autonomy research make it the most direct incumbent benchmark for safety-certified autonomous train control.
• Hitachi Rail: Global rail signaling and rolling stock provider with ETCS and CBTC offerings plus internal autonomy R&D. Competes with Futurail for operator autonomy contracts and benefits from deep, established rail-operator relationships.
• Thales: French rail signaling and train control specialist with a strong ETCS portfolio and growing autonomy initiatives. Directly competes with Futurail on the safety-critical control and signaling layer that underpins autonomous train operations.
• Stadler Rail: Swiss rolling stock manufacturer with active ATO and driverless train programs (e.g., Berlin U-Bahn). Potential customer for Futurail's first-mount integration but also a potential competitor if it elects to develop or acquire its own autonomy stack.
• CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles): Spanish rail OEM and signaling provider with own ATO/autonomy efforts (AURIGA platform). Competes for autonomous train tenders and could be a first-mount partner similar to Lohr Industrie.
• Wabtec: US-based rail equipment and signaling company with freight-focused autonomy and digital train control initiatives (e.g., LEADER, Trip Optimizer). Adjacent competitor particularly for North American freight rail customers.
• Knorr-Bremse: German rail braking and onboard systems supplier expanding into train control and autonomy subsystems. Adjacent incumbent with deep rail OEM relationships that could either partner with or compete against Futurail's Integrate hardware module.

Emerging players

• Rail Vision: Israel-based company developing AI-driven obstacle detection and railway safety systems for shunting and mainline applications. Overlaps with Futurail's Detect module and competes in the perception and safety stack for autonomous rail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/futurail

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Futurail