InnoTrans 2018

Shift2Rail presents a new antenna, made of composite materials, which is substantially lighter than the conventional welded design made of steel. The new Composite Antenna has a weight of about 13kg  –  more than 45kg lighter than the conventional welded … Continue reading →

Wheel maintenance accounts for a significant share of the maintenance costs of railway vehicles. Thus, engineers strive to design wheels that are ever more robust and better performing. Shift2Rail-funded research has developed a new wheel made of Austempered Ductile Iron … Continue reading →

On these past three days the Shift2Rail stand has been buzzing with excitement, curious conversations and vivid activity. It has drawn a large number of visitors interested in new forms of mobility. On DAY 4 at InnoTrans visitors have the … Continue reading →

The Connected Trams demonstrator introduces radical innovations to the current Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS), often referred to as the “brain of the train”. The goal: To increase the level of automation and make trains more cost-effective and safer. … Continue reading →

To find out what is inside a wagon today when it enters a freight terminal, operators need to manually record its reference number and other information such as the presence of hazardous goods.  This requires a lot of time and … Continue reading →

Did you know that – as striking as it may seem – brake tests in European freight trains are still conducted today as they were 100 years ago. This implies that a long and fastidious foot check of each and every … Continue reading →

How can we make railway networks more energy-efficient? Currently, energy measurements are only conducted on board of trains and not used to make networks more energy-efficient. There is no technology that assesses the energy efficiency and the energy flow of … Continue reading →

To tackle the pressing issue of noise pollution, Shift2Rail research teams have devised new computer simulations to assess different strategies to reduce noise and vibration levels. These programmes make it possible to gauge the effectiveness of noise mitigation methods demonstrating … Continue reading →

The ‘moving block’ is a concept of rail traffic management and control systems that allows trains to run much closer to each other, improving line capacity and performance. This system will upgrade the European Train Control System (ETCS) to level 3, … Continue reading →

After two successful days, we have reached half-time at InnoTrans but there is still plenty to see and discover. The train of the future will stop on Thursday at: 10 am-12 pm: UNIFE Dialog Forum: Executive director Carlo Borghini and … Continue reading →

Today Shift2Rail participated in the Innovation Award of the European Railway Cluster Initiative (ERCI), where the leading rail meta cluster in Europe awarded trophies in three categories: The Innovation Awards of the European Railway Clusters went to DB Cargo AG … Continue reading →

Today, apps allow checking what the best multimodal route is. But Shift2Rail IP4 is taking this to a whole new level: Passengers will be able to book with a single click multi-modal trips across Europe. No more need to enter … Continue reading →

A novel integrated multi-sensor on-board obstacle detection system for freight trains, developed within the Shift2Rail initiative, combines different vision technologies to identify obstacles beyond 200m, the current state-of-art, and up to 1000m. This innovative device, able to operate under any … Continue reading →

Shift2Rail participated in the third edition of the Women in Mobility Luncheon, which provided a platform for leading women in the transport industry to exchange experiences and ideas, connect with others in the industry and discuss professional issues. The event, … Continue reading →

The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU) has had a strong presence at its first appearance at InnoTrans, the largest rail fair in the world –presenting the first results of the initiative, barely two years after its creation. Wednesday, 19 September … Continue reading →

A team of three Network Rail managers won the Shift2Rail ‘Women in Rail Research & Innovation Award’. Laureates are Amanda Webster, Eleanor Simmons and Alison Smith, prominent managers in infrastructure-related Shift2Rail R&I activities, working on smart infrastructure, intelligent mobility management … Continue reading →

  Projects working on new methodologies to optimise energy use in trains, a door-to-door travel booking eco-system and technologies to make trains’ communication systems wireless are selected as winners of the Awards in its first edition. OPEUS won the decarbonisation … Continue reading →

The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU) will have a strong presence in its first appearance InnoTrans, the largest rail fair in the world –presenting the first results of the initiative, barely two years after its creation. At 12.00 pm, the … Continue reading →

With more than 20 cutting-edge innovations, inviting visitors to discover new technologies first hand there is plenty to experience at the Shift2Rail stand at InnoTrans. But on top of its own activities, S2R is excited to participate in other events … Continue reading →

Together with its Members, Shift2Rail is showcasing more than 20 cutting-edge solutions for a ground-breaking transformation of railway systems at InnoTrans in Berlin from 18-21 September. Less than two years after the start of the Joint Undertaking’s activities, the JU … Continue reading →