The Technical University of Dresden in Germany and Bombardier have extended their rail research cooperation for another five years.
The two organisations intend to strengthen their research on rail vehicle dynamics, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.
Under the previous five-year cooperation agreement from 2007 to 2012, the organisations undertook joint research projects, including a video monitoring system for passengers in driverless rail vehicles.
The system will help in observing conditions on the driverless rail vehicles and adjust vehicle speed accordingly for increased efficiency, availability and safety.
Technical University of Dresden professor Michael Beitelschmidt said that Bombardier supports long-term research projects in the department, which helps research assistants become rail industry experts.
"The numerous completed and future studies offer students a valuable insight into a future-oriented high-tech industry," Beitelschmidt said.
As part of the collaboration, new methods were developed to calculate the structural dynamics of trams and light rail vehicles, using a tram equipped with measuring technology that recorded real-time data about forces on the vehicle during daily operations.
Bombardier Transportation Germany’s chairman of the management board Michael Clausecker said that the company’s collaboration with the university provides an exchange of expertise between science and industry.
"It provides exciting career opportunities to young, highly qualified employees," Clausecker said. "In turn, the university will continue to have access to our rail engineering expertise to develop scientists’ knowledge and skills."
The joint research programme also contributed to the development of the Bombardier Traxx multi-engine locomotive, for which Bombardier secured a nine-year framework contract with DB Regio in April 2011 to deliver 200 vehicles.
The concept is based on four diesel-electric engine-generator sets that enable the implementation of an intelligent engine control system, allowing each engine to be operated independently to increase fuel efficiency.
Image: Over the next five years, Bombardier and Dresden University aim to strengthen their research on rail vehicles’ dynamics, energy efficiency, reliability and safety. Photo: courtesy of Bombardier.
