Small, Lightweight, Driverless Rail Vehicle for Rural Areas in Europe

Abstract

With the support of EU’s key funding program Horizon Europe, the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) aims to deliver faster deployment of innovations in the railway design. The EU-Rail FutuRe project aims at significantly reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of European regional lines by means of providing new innovative solutions to make services on these lines competitive and attractive for customers. Setting the right level of requirements and specification for the regional rail rolling stock plays therefore an important role in meeting the FutuRe objectives. The ultimate objective is to define a concept of a driverless (fully automated) vehicle for up to 100 passengers or corresponding freight with significant vehicle mass savings compared to existing rolling stock. The key research areas are: the mechanical arrangement avoiding unnecessary weight and reducing maintenance costs on vehicle and track, the emission free propulsion system designed for services on non-electrified lines and the control�command system enabling the highest grade of utomation – driverless operation.