Swedish-Led Waterless Train Cleaning Technology Wins Top Sustainability Award

The DREI-project, focused on developing a completely waterless exterior train cleaning method, has earned the gold prize in the prestigious French TGV 2025 CSR Challenge for sustainability. Selected from 88 entries and 15 finalists, the project was commended for its innovative approach to significantly reducing resource consumption in railway maintenance, with potential annual water savings of up to 12 million liters.

This initiative adapts Aerowash's drywash technology, already commercially proven in the aviation sector, for railway use. The collaboration between Aerowash and the DREI-project began in fall 2025 under a framework agreement to develop and supply a mobile train washing system. Prototype testing is scheduled for France in spring 2026, followed by orders for multiple systems to be employed at train depots.

Aerowash CEO Niklas Adler expressed pride in the recognition, emphasizing that the award boosts the project's strategic importance within SNCF and lays the foundation for further development and rollout. The DREI-project’s success reflects a growing commitment to sustainable technologies in European rail transport.