Latest News

September 21, 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 design made of steel. By using composite components instead of conventional steel parts, railway vehicles have a higher payload and a lower energy consumption. Composite material is a proven lightweight material suitable for many applications…

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September 21, 2018

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 (ADI), which diminishes the tendency for polygonisation and reduces wheel and rail wear, noise emission and wheel mass. ADI is a cast material characterized by a favorable combination of strength and ductility and high wear…

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September 21, 2018

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 final opportunity to engage with our interactive demos, exchange ideas with our demo managers and experts and discover the railway systems of the future.   Today on the agenda: 10.00 am: Modular interior design 11.00…

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September 20, 2018

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. In a live demo, two trams located in Zaragoza in Spain move in a coordinated manner without any physical link at a constant distance of about 6 metres. The two vehicles are virtually coupled, which…

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September 20, 2018

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 dedicated staff. A new Intelligent Video Gate will scan and transfer information on the wagons automatically as they enter the freight warehouse. Shift2Rail-funded researchers are developing an ‘Intelligent Video Gate’, able to recognise and transfer…

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September 20, 2018

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 wagon is still necessary to verify the proper functioning of brakes. Things are about to change with the development of automatic brake tests allowing drivers to  operate the test themselves thanks to connected sensors, which…

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