Moving people and goods by rail, sustainably.

The aim is to shift more passenger and freight traffic onto the railroads. However, this change will require better connections to hubs, sustainable energy generation, and new types of powertrains, such as solutions that use fuel cells or batteries.

At DLR, we are researching how to make the connection to rail transport more attractive, not only between different modes of transport, but also between big cities and rural areas. We are developing various innovative solutions for this – for example, trains could cooperate with automated road vehicles in the future to minimize the number of interruptions in a journey. Networked assistance systems could also provide real-time information about potential malfunctions. The control centers would then direct and adjust train movements accordingly, helping to save time and energy in rail traffic. New train models are also more aerodynamic, safer and quieter. And where railroad tracks are not electrified, hybrid and hydrogen drives could replace diesel engines on trains in the interests of climate protection and emissions control.

We thus offer a range of solutions to make rail transport more appealing and to attract more people and goods onto the railroads.

(Photo: DLR)