Different DLR vehicle technologies, such as new propulsion concepts or lightweight construction, are evaluated and compared with a computer model. Scientific evaluation makes recommendations for policy and economics.
Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0).
One-of-a-kind – the performance of high-speed trains is tested under unprecedentedly realistic conditions in the new tunnel simulation facility at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Göttingen.
In this RCAS (Railway Collision Avoidance System) research project, scientists from three DLR Institutes of Communications and Navigation, Transportation Systems, and Robotics and Mechatronics have developed a complete system, requiring no infrastructure, for the prevention of train collisions. DLR's cooperation partner is Bayerische Oberlandbahn. This Bavarian rail operator provided one of its Integral regional trains as a test vehicle for the RCAS system (Photo).
With the DLR ViewCar, the researchers examined driver behavior. Results determined that drivers are subjected to greater stress at intersections.
At 400 kilometres per hour, a silent double-decker – the Next Generation Train (NGT) – will travel into the future and in doing so will realise energy savings of 50 percent. In this project, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is combining its skills in the field of railway vehicle research. DLR researchers are working to make the trains of tomorrow lighter, more energy efficient, more comfortable, safer and, at the same time, faster.
Environmentally friendly, safe, comfortable and affordable; that's how it should be. DLR transport researchers investigate the car of the future. approaches.
Train models are catapulted at up to 400 kilometres per hour in the globally unique tunnel simulation facility at DLR Göttingen. The pressure waves created when passing through tunnels and the effects of crosswinds are being investigated.
With the touch of a button, the driver can select the level of automation. Road traffic accidents are often the result of errors made by inattentive, overstressed or tired drivers. The objective of the EU project HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport), in which the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) played an active role, was to minimise the number of this kind of accidents.
Credit: HAVEit.
The dynamic driving simulator at the DLR Institute of Transportation Systems in Braunschweig.
Credit: DLR/Markus Steur.
To make railway trains faster and more economical, their shape is decisively important. Two new research facilities at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Göttingen are involved in developing the aerodynamically optimum shape for future rail vehicles.
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The transport sector is a cornerstone of Germany's industrialised economy. It satisfies individual mobility needs, provides employment and makes up a significant share of the net economic added value. On the other hand, transport has some adverse effects.
How can rail transport be made safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly? How must the trains of tomorrow be designed? Rail transport researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are addressing these questions. In the 'Next Generation Train' (NGT) project, researchers from nine DLR institutes are using an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the key questions of how the trains the future can be made fast, safe, comfortable and environment-friendly.