Regional Rail Rolling Stock for the FutuRe

Kurzfassung

Regional railway lines with lower usage need to be renewed to make them economically and environmentally sustainable, and this is the aim of FutuRe - a project supported by the Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking. Research is being conducted in several areas, such as traffic management, train positioning, automatic train control, wayside assets, multimodal travel and the vehicle itself, with the propulsion system and running gear being key research areas.

FutuRe proposes that this regional train should have a lightweight body, possibly with sections made of composite, and two single-axle running gears with active wheelset steering for improved curving performance. It is further proposed that train should be battery-powered and that the braking energy should be fully recovered into the battery. A control command and signalling concept dedicated to regional lines without the need to be interoperable with mainlines is being developed, enabling full automation (GoA4), is being developed. The concept matches the European initiatives in satellite communications and federated data spaces.

The effect on Key Performance Indicators used in FutuRe shows that the proposed vehicle will have lower energy consumption, generate less noise, require less maintenance and reduce the need for operational personnel compared to the regional trains that the market offers today.