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Content archived on 2024-05-29

Innovative modular vehicle concepts for an integrated European railway system

Objective

To meet the exacting performance improvements identified in the business scenarios listed in the ERRAC Strategic Rail Research Agenda as overall transport growth (40% for passengers to 7500 billion passenger/km is expected in 2020) and transport demand increase (passenger market share will almost double and market volume will triple in comparison to 2000),reliable,affordable and attractive interoperable rolling stock must become the norm for use on European networks.Within the frame of the two Railway Packages,the High Speed and Conventional Rail Directives are being brought into effect by the publication of Technical Standards for Interoperability (TSIs) and validated via new and improved voluntary norms.The practical implementation of interoperability via these changes often lags considerably behind the legal framework. To avoid the risk of each new train being the subject of independent interpretations of the requirements and built from unproven prototype sub-assemblies interoperable constituents must be defined,validated and promoted at European industry level.That's why,the main European railways systems manufacturers (Ansaldo Breda, Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier),sub-systems suppliers (Knorr-Bremse, Deuta Werke, Lucchini,...) railways operators (SNCF, DB, FS) and Professional associations as UNIFE,UIC,VBD,FIF,ANIE and RIA have decided to join their efforts with high skilled research centres to reach this objective. Initially,the MODTRAIN studies will concentrate on fixed formation passenger trains and Universal Locomotives capable of 200 km/h and more,but as work advances it is hoped to extend this scope to embrace all rolling stock likely to operate over the high speed and conventional interoperable networks. As a starting point the MODTRAIN Integrated Project will define and prove the necessary functional,electrical and mechanical interfaces,and validation procedures necessary to deliver the range of interchangeable modules.

Call for proposal

FP6-2002-TRANSPORT-1
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

UNION OF EUROPEAN RAILWAY INDUSTRIES
EU contribution
No data

Participants (36)