Talent stories: a record-breaking day on the rails for ETCS engineer Zsombor Gyévai
Some people grow into their careers. Others, like Zsombor Gyévai, seem born for it.
Zsombor is an ETCS Engineer working on railway infrastructure in Belgium. And in June, he accomplished something remarkable:
He and his team loaded 200 railway beacons in just a day and a half, a pace that’s twice as fast as the industry average.
A lifelong love for trains
Zsombor’s love for trains started early. As a child, he was fascinated by metros, trams, and anything that moved on rails. How do they work? How are they built? That curiosity turned into a career focused on making rail systems safer, smarter, and more efficient.
Zsombor's part of the team that deploys and tests European Train Control Systems (ETCS) in Belgium, specifically levels 1 and 2, which are key to modernizing rail infrastructure across Europe.
In simple terms, Zsombor makes sure that the designs imagined on paper become reality on the tracks.
What’s a train beacon, and why does it matter?
Beacons are small devices placed on the tracks. When a train passes over them, they send key information to the onboard systems (think of speed limits, track conditions, and more). Each beacon needs to be loaded with the right software and verified before it can go live.
It’s a hands-on process: place the device, load the software (about 30 seconds), take proof-of-load photos, enter a validation code (another minute). On average, it takes 1 minute 30 seconds per beacon.
And here’s the twist: these beacons are often located in hard-to-reach places. Planning is everything. You need to know where to park, which access points to use, and how to move quickly and safely across long stretches of track.
The day everything clicked
In June, Zsombor and his team were tasked with loading 212 beacons in three days: a solid challenge, especially since they’re spread over 30km and trains were still running on the tracks.
That meant working with precision, speed, and constant awareness of safety.
But Zsombor had a plan. He mapped out the route, organized the team, and got to work. By the end of day one, they had already loaded 144 beacons, which is a huge achievement given the conditions. By midday on day two, the full 212 were done. That’s twice as fast as the average pace.
The only thing that slowed them down? Their equipment ran out of power. Otherwise, they might have gone even further!
Zsombor and his team working on a railway track
Zsombor’s deep passion for infrastructure, combined with his ability to lead and adapt, turned a tough challenge into a record-breaking success.
It’s the kind of achievement that doesn’t always make headlines, but it moves things forward. And in infrastructure, that’s what matters most.
