Intelligent Rail Infrastructure

Digitalization is the key to increased availability, automation, connectivity, and sustainability in rail infrastructure.

Secure connectivity

Secure your data flows and infrastructure with Siemens’ Data Capture Unit (DCU).

Mobility as a Service

Mobility as a Service is not a future vision - it´s already here and establishing a MaaS platform doesn’t need to be complicated.

Mireo Plus decarbonises Europe’s railways

The new Mireo Plus designed from the ground up to offer flexibility, range and efficiency.

The digital transformation of track vacancy detection

Read more how digital add-ons help to reduce maintenance costs and enhance process quality.

Digital asset management for rail systems white paper: An innovative approach

This white paper discusses the topic of asset management for large physical assets in the rail domain. Rail assets require large investments and are operated and maintained over decades. This means that rail assets are ideally positioned to benefit from the methodology and best practices of asset management.

The way is paved for Mireo Plus H

When you listen to Peter Eckert and Nikolaos Papaiordanidis, you can sense their enthusiasm for their shared task of launching Mireo Plus H, the first hydrogen train from Siemens Mobility. Their work on the prototype for testing it under real operating conditions is the culmination of a year’s development that our interviewees helped shape in significant ways. We spoke to them about what really matters in modern trainsets, why this prototype is so interesting, and why it’s also an important part of a larger development.

RailChain – the application of distributed ledger technologies in railway operations

In the "RailChain" project, a distributed juridical recorder was was designed based on a real-time distributed consensus protocol and implemented as a distributed ledger on board the "Advanced TrainLab" of DB Systemtechnik was implemented. In addition to details on the architecture and consensus protocol, additional use cases are discussed here that go far beyond the vehicle and also record state information of field elements and system components thanks to EULYNX and RCA. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

SIEMENS Night Trains: Throughout Europe in the Sleeping Car

In order to achieve the agreed climate targets, the EU has agreed on a significant increase in sustainable transport. One option in long-distance rail transport for travel times of more than six hours is the night train. With this type of travel, a passenger train with special sleeping, couchette and/or seat cars is boarded at the starting point in the evening and, while the passengers sleep, covers a journey of up to 1400 km. Read how vehicles of the latest design are leading to a renaissance of night train travel at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/ei (only available in German).

The application of artificial intelligence in railway technology for safety-relevant applications

The successes of the applications of so-called "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) are unmistakable. AI is used in numerous fields such as entertainment, art and in many technical systems. And elaborate technical and political preparations are also being made for the use of AI in safety-related systems, including a planned "TÜV for AI." Learn more about the topic of AI in railroad technology for safety-relevant applications at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Fit for the future with the latest marshalling technology – the Basel SBB RB2 marshalling yard as an example

The following article describes the technical solution for the modernisation of the Basel SBB RB2 marshalling yard at the railway hub in Basel (Switzerland). Its special gradient characteristics make Basel SBB RB2 a truly unique marshalling yard from a technical and operating perspective. Siemens Mobility GmbH was commissioned to renovate and future-proof this yard. At the same time, great importance was also placed on preserving and integrating the facility’s older components and the interfaces to the existing systems. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Track Monitoring Smartphone-App

Many railroads around the world use measuring trains for regular inspection of the tracks. Continuous monitoring of all tracks, e.g. in the form of a daily measurement run, is naturally not possible with these trains. On the other hand, smartphones with their integrated sensors can be used for track monitoring in a cost-effective and mobile manner. In a practical application at SBB, the possibilities of this were successfully demonstrated. Read more at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Additive manufacturing of spare parts - re-design and re-engineering of individual components of trams

As early as 2012, Siemens Mobility recognized the increasing importance of additive manufacturing for the supply of spare parts and integrated this technology into its portfolio. into its portfolio. In the first few years, the focus was on the 1:1 replication of spare parts was the main focus. This enabled a large number of parts for streetcars, streetcars, light rail vehicles, regional and mainline railroads, locomotives and infrastructure and specially approved for rail applications. Read more at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr. (only available in German)

Intrusion detection to protect the digital railway

Increasing reliance on digital technologies has made railways more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Intrusion Detection Systems can help to protect new and existing infrastructure and ensure availability. Read more at Railway Gazette International: railwaygazette.com.

ATO as a future technology in rail transport

The topic of sustainable mobility and the expansion of the public transport network is currently the subject of intense debate in politics and among the general public. In addition to the European Commission's action plan published in December 2021, the coalition agreement of the new German government also highlights an acute need for action. This envisages a doubling of rail passenger traffic by 2030 and an increase in the share of rail freight traffic to 25 percent. Read more about this at Deine Bahn: bahn-fachverlag.de (only available in German).

A holistic approach with potential – Building Information Modelling for an innovative and digital rail infrastructure

The developments of recent years have driven the spread of digital technologies in our industry on an unprecedented scale. This trend has been further accelerated by the pandemic. Digitalisation is the key to increased availability, growing automation and connectivity, while it has also permanently changed the way we collaborate on projects in signalling and control systems.This article describes an innovative application of the “Building Information Modelling (BIM)” methodology by Siemens Mobility. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

GoA4-Readiness – Challenges for Future Rail Vehicles

Autonomous driving has been a key innovation topic in the mobility sector for many years. In the railway sector, fully automatic driving in the metro sector is already state of the art. This article addresses the challenges of automation in the mainline sector and the question how these developments are already taken into account today in new vehicle generations. Using examples, it will be shown how Siemens Mobility is gradually implementing full automation and which regulatory requirements result from this. Read more at ZEVrail: zevrail.de (only available in German).

"Digital St. Andrew's Cross" - Level Crossings with Rail2X Technology

Future-proof digitization is the basis for reliably securing railroad crossings (level crossings) and a basic prerequisite for enabling smooth rail operations in the coming decades. Digital technologies at level crossings are innovations that benefit rail and road traffic. This article explains the new function of a "digital St. Andrew's cross" and describes its added value for the comfort and safety of road traffic. Read more at EIK 2022: eurailpress.de/publikationen/eik (only available in German).

Digital S-Bahn Hamburg

Hamburg is growing! According to a recent forecast by the Hamburg Statistics Office, Hamburg will be home to more than 2 million inhabitants in 2031. S-Bahn Hamburg wants to offer all Hamburg residents, tourists and guests a quality mobility service. In view of the city's growth, but also the future above-average growth of up to 50% for the S-Bahn Hamburg due to the expansion of the S-Bahn network with additional lines, the core network of the S-Bahn Hamburg is reaching capacity limits. Read more about Hamburg's Digital S-Bahn at EIK 2022: eurailpress.de/publikationen/eik (only available in German).

Level crossings communicate with road traffic – installing and retrofitting Rail2X technology

Future-proof digitalisation provides the basis for dependable safety and security at level crossings and is an absolute prerequisite for punctual, trouble-free rail operations in the coming decades. Innovative digital level crossing technologies promise benefits for rail and road traffic alike. This article explains the new functions that can be realised using the “digital warning cross” and describes the added value they bring to road traffic convenience and safety. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Autonomous tram finds its way in the depot

The Combino streetcar from Siemens moves quietly and smoothly. Less is more: There is no human intervention whatsoever in the driver's cab. The world's first streetcar with autonomous driving functions was presented by Siemens Mobility and ViP at InnoTrans in 2018. The decisive new feature is the interaction between the autonomously driving vehicle and the YMS yard management system developed by Siemens. Read more at BAHN MANAGER: eurailpress.de/bahn-manager (only available in German).

SIL4 Data Center – a new platform architecture for safety-relevant railway applications

The rail sector in Europe is on the verge of a technological leap into the digital future: The "Digital Rail Germany" sector initiative is seizing this opportunity and bringing future technologies to the rail system. The foundation for this is being laid with the fundamental modernization and digitization of the infrastructure through the consistent introduction of the new control and safety technology (LST) European Train Control System (ETCS) and digital interlockings. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Approach for a Risk Analysis for Automated Train Operation

The ATO-RISK project, which was commissioned by the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF), has been given the goal of deriving “risk acceptance criteria for automated driving on railways”,  under the following contractual boundary conditions. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

100% system availability is feasible

Scarce resources coupled with increasing demands on transport performance and quality are part of everyday life for rail operators. But how can almost 100 percent availability of trains and infrastructure be guaranteed over the entire service life? Read the editorial by our CEO Customer Services, Johannes Emmelheinz, at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

IT security on rail vehicles

The IT security working group of the CNA (Center for Transportation & Logistics Neuer Adler) has developed a practicable generic IT security architecture for rail vehicles, based on the legal and normative requirements. Read more about IT security for rail vehicles at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

The MegaHub Lehrte - a vision becomes reality

On behalf of the former Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing, a concept for innovative transshipment facilities to increase the efficiency of combined transport has been developed since the early 1990s. The central component of this concept is rapid transshipment facilities with a hub function, in which rail-road transshipment takes place during the day and rail-rail transshipment during the night. The most important innovations of the MegaHub Lehrte for the hub function are presented below. Read more about it at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/ei (only available in German).

Digital S-Bahn Hamburg - First Trackside Equipment of ATO over ETCS in Germany

The Digital S-Bahn Hamburg project is the first in Germany to realize digitized rail operations with passengers. The main objectives of the project are the conception and realization of highly automated driving on a 23 km long section of the S-Bahn Hamburg as well as a fully automated, driverless provision at Bergedorf station. Read more at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/ei (only available in German).

The Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX) - A successful model for local rail passenger transport

In January 2013, a Europe-wide award procedure was launched for the Rhine-Ruhr Express, which was followed by a concept in local passenger transport for the first time in Germany. This concept focused on lifecycle costs and clear responsibility for the cost structure defined for the long term. Read more about our RRX at Nahverkehrspraxis: nahverkehrspraxis.de/emagazin (only available in German).

ATO over ETCS as the key to greater efficiency, capacity and sustainability

Railways are the backbone of our economy and society. Increasing traffic volumes in both passenger and freight transport are presenting a huge challenge to many carriers. Automatic train operation (ATO) is the answer to today’s challenges; the use of this key technology makes it possible to achieve a higher level of capacity and availability, as well as sustainability in rail infrastructure, while at the same time reducing energy consumption. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Innovations in CBTC applications

Moving block operations, i.e. driving at braking distance, is the basis for the highest possible throughput and thus the best possible utilisation of a metro system. This function is a core component of communications-based train control systems (CBTC). Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

The reliability of Distributed Juridical Recording

The Siemens Mobility project RailChain deals with the transferability of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies to rail operations and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) in the mFund program. Read more about reliability of Distributed Juridical Recording at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Digital Asset Management for rail systems

Automated Digital Asset Management creates transparency in the performance and cost optimization of rail systems and supports strategically relevant decisions decisions based on business data - data from operations and maintenance as well as artificial intelligence. Read more about our DAM at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Digitalization in maintenance through chassis diagnostics

The running gear of a rail vehicle is the central component for its safe operation. The bogie carries all the important components for propulsion and braking, determines derailment safety and ride behavior, and has a major influence on ride comfort. It represents the interface to the guideway and must therefore be able to cope with the constraints imposed by the guideway. How can we reduce maintenance costs and maintain safety levels through an intelligent running gear diagnostics system? Read more at DER NAHVERKEHR: busundbahn.de/publikationen/der-nahverkehr (only available in German).

The new airfree brake system from Siemens Brakes

From the perspective and with the experience of a vehicle manufacturer, the internal business unit Siemens Brakes, successfully implements the optimum brake system for a wide range of Siemens Mobility applications and is an integral part of the MoComp portfolio. All vehicle manufacturers are predominantly still using conventional air brake technology for their brake systems. The motivation for the development was to design a real alternative to the conventional pneumatic brake system. Read more at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Modern locomotives and their influence on track loading

Modern high-performance locomotives are designed for cross-border traffic throughout Europe. High and reliably reproducible coefficient of friction utilization is particularly important in freight traffic, as it enables high tractive forces to be achieved in operation. Find out how modern universal locomotives achieve significantly higher tractive forces while reducing track stress. Read more about this at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/ei (only available in German).

Improved mobile radio reception through frequency-permeable windows in the cost-benefit analysis

The requirement of being able to make calls with the mobile phone anytime and anywhere and to receive data at high speed requires good network coverage. The conditions for this are particularly bad on regional and high-speed trains. The aim is to show which parameters influence the design of the side windows and how the glass can be manipulated in such a way that cell phone reception is also possible in the Velaro MS. Read more at ZEVrail: zevrail.de (only available in German).

Siemens in developing a Collision Warning Assistant for Mainline

Siemens has been equipping its trams with a collision warning system, the Siemens Tram Assistant, at the customer’s request since 2017, which reliably detects collision risks, warns the driver, or brakes the vehicle if the driver can no longer react. Read more about our Collision Warning Assistant at ZEVrail: zevrail.de.

Digital twins, maximum availability and new technologies

Punctuality, comfort, and reliability are decisive factors for travelers using public transport. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) links all mobility offerings and brings passengers comfortably to their destination across multiple modes of transport. Together with the transportation companies, Siemens Mobility will adapt mobility offerings even more closely to customer expectations. Read the editorial by Devina Pasta at ZEVrail: zevrail.de (only available in German).

Digital S-Bahn Hamburg

The pilot project "Digital S-Bahn Hamburg" shows how digitalization can improve the performance of urban transportation in growing cities. Read more about our Digital S-Bahn Hamburg and Germany's first implementation of ATO over ECTS at SIGNAL+DRAHT: eurailpress.de/sd.

The development of the new DS3 safety platform

Proprietary solutions for an overall "interlocking" functionality are separated into functional interlocking logic and intrinsically safe outdoor control with standardized IP-based communication interfaces. This architectural change to the "Digital Interlocking" (DSTW) offers the possibility of complete centralization of safety-related railroad applications such as interlocking logic and RBC logic. Read more about our DS3 safety platform at SIGNAL+DRAHT: eurailpress.de/sd.

RBC simulation for real ETCS test runs

Bottlenecks often arise when planning and conducting ETCS Level 2 (L2) tests because of the current limited availability of tracks for test runs in the L2 mode. This article shows how this difficulty can be overcome. Read more about it at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Secure cloud-based solution for Asset Performance Management

Industry 4.0, Big Data and digital transformation are topics we have to deal with in today's railroad age. This article presents the Clearguard Performance Monitoring (CPM) application as an example of asset performance management for a supplier of track vacancy detection system components such as axle counters and track circuits. Read more at SIGNAL+DRAHT: eurailpress.de/sd.

BLS relies on the geo-redundant control system Iltis N from Siemens Mobility

Nobody enjoys being restricted in their mobility. The measures put in place during the ongoing pandemic have shown this. The ability to travel from A to B regardless of the situation is fundamental to a functioning society. To ensure that rail operations run smoothly in Switzerland even under exceptional circumstances, Siemens Mobility has collaborated with the private Swiss rail operator BLS Netz Ltd to implement and successfully operate geo-redundancy within the Controlguide® Iltis N operations control system. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

The added value of digitalization in maintenance using the Example of chassis diagnostics

The running gear of a rail vehicle is the central component for the safe operation of a rail vehicle. The running gear carries all the important components for propulsion and braking, determines derailment safety and handling, and has a significant influence on ride comfort. Presentation on the paper was published at Monitoring Rad-Schiene 2021 (only available in German).

Integration of CBTC systems in rail vehicles

Increasing demand for transport worldwide requires efficient automated rail transport systems. In some cases, this will require new lines and vehicle fleets. This article describes the aspects to be considered when integrating new signaling systems in vehicles. Read more about the integration of CBTC systems at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Modeling the life cycle costs of overhead contact line systems

As a result of a research cooperation between the Technical University of Dresden and Siemens Mobility GmbH, a method for probabilistic modeling of the life cycle costs of overhead contact line systems was developed. To demonstrate the possibilities of the resulting software tool, the Re200 and SicatSX designs are subjected to a technical-economic comparison. Read more at eb-Elektrische Bahnen: eb-info.eu (only available in German).

Harmonious coexistence between train and general radio telecommunications

One of the side-effects of the world’s ever greater enthusiasm for digitalisation and wireless networking is reciprocal radio interference. This poses questions for the railroad sector too, not least because the second level of the ETCS train protection system that is now starting to come into use relies on GSM-R and future mobile communication standards rather than wired signals. This article considers the difficulties currently being faced and possible ways of resolving them. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Innovative use cases for 5G in public transport

5G is the next step in the development of mobile communications - and this leap is enormous. The technical characteristics, such as the data flow in 5G, are impressive. Read more about whether 5G technology represents an evolution or revolution for public transport at SIGNAL+DRAHT: eurailpress.de/sd.

Additive Manufacturing comes to rail

With increasing demands on availability and response time, conventional manufacturing processes are reaching their limits. Additive manufacturing closes this gap and adds a high-end digital manufacturing technology to the railroad world. Read more about our Additive Manufacturing at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Towards a European interoperable cybersecurity standard

European rail operations and solution providers have been working together since 2016 to lay a basis for an interoperable European cybersecurity standard in rail automation. Read more about what this entails at SIGNAL+DRAHT: eurailpress.de/sd.

3D-printing for rail transport

Siemens Mobility has built a highly component and specialized global network that optimizes the use of 3D-printing to manufacture a wide variety of rail transport components. Read more about our 3D-printing for rail transport at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Vectron Dual Mode - keeps going where the wire ends

Vectron Dual Mode is the answer for today’s transport challenges. Building on the mature technology of Eurorunner ER20 and Vectron DE, it offers the flexibility of a large mainline diesel locomotive. Learn more about our Vectron Dual Mode at ZEVrail: zevrail.de (only available in German).

Focussing on passengers, stations & trains – demand-driven operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Global developments, such as those currently being experienced with the pandemic, are permanently changing our everyday lives and, as a result, the behavior of metro system passengers. But what does this mean in concrete terms? This article highlights a previous, exemplary process for creating a schedule and addresses challenges of station utilization. Learn how already available technologies can be used to create a timetable based on automated recording of passenger flows in stations according to demand. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Hydrogen train at Siemens Mobility: A total package

Siemens is also betting on hydrogen trains, Hanse Medien-Verlag learned from Siemens Mobility. Read the entire interview with Albrecht Neumann, our CEO Rolling Stock, at BAHN MANAGER: eurailpress.de/bahn-manager.

MoBase - the digital purchasing platform for professional railroad products and solutions

The digital transformation is now permeating all areas of our lives and is not stopping at the rail industry. The operation of rail networks is becoming technically and organizationally more complex due to the ever-increasing interconnection of transport modes. Mastering this complexity is only possible through further advanced digitalization. Read more about MoBase at ETR: eurailpress.de/etr (only available in German).

Mireo - Innovative regional and commuter platform from Siemens Mobility

More and more people around the world live in and around urban centers and want to be mobile. The average speed on the roads in many large cities is already less than 20 kilometers per hour and will continue to fall. As a result, regional and local public transport is becoming increasingly important compared to private transport. Read more about our Mireo at the Rail Yearbook 2021 Switzerland: editionlan.ch/eisenbahn/Bahn-Jahrbuch/Bahn-Jahrbuch-Schweiz-2021 (only available in German).

Teaching trams how to drive

Using our test drives at ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH, we are starting down the road towards smart and auonomous trams. Read more about our autonomated trams at DER NAHVERKEHR: busundbahn.de/publikationen/der-nahverkehr (only available in German).

Up and running, guaranteed

One hundred percent availability of vehicles and infrastructure over their entire service life is the basis for efficiently functioning railway systems. The Customer Services Business Unit of Siemens Mobility has been proving for many years, in the UK, Russia, Spain, Thailand and other countries, that practically 100% system. Read more at Modern Railways: modernrailways.com.

Saving Energy in Rolling Stock

Siemens Mobility’s key criteria in designing rolling stock are safety, the passenger experience, and lifecycle costs. In modern MRT systems, a train’s lifecycle costs are mainly driven by the costs of maintenance and energy. Throughout the designed service life of an MRT train, the train investment costs, maintenance costs, and energy costs contribute in approximately equal parts to the overall cost. How can energy costs be reduced? Learn more at THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER: issuu.com/desmond6/docs/tse_oct_20_web.

Increased network availability with the intelligent operation of level crossing protection systems

In addition to the reliable technical protection of level crossings, there is also the challenge of ensuring a long life cycle of the level crossing protection systems in terms of investment protection, as these are often operated in the field for more than 40 years. Read more about our newly developed functions of the Simis LC at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Information Management builds on BIM

Siemens Mobility has undertaken a proof of concept trial based on a light rail project in Denmark to showcase how advanced information management techniques can complement BIM, potentially opening the door to more transparent management of major infrastructure schemes. Read more about BIM at RAILWAY GAZETTE INTERNATIONAL: railwaygazette.com.

Commissioning the Warnemünde digital interlocking

The Digital Rail Germany program is the ubiquitous topic in the signaling industry sector. The important project milestones for digitization are the pilot projects for reference implementation and the subsequent pre-series projects. Read more about the successful commissioning of the first digital interlocking (DSTW) within the pre-series projects, the DSTW Warnemünde at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

Siemens Vectron Dual Mode: More ecology, less costs

BAHN MANAGER spoke with Siemens development engineer Jochen Emde about the new offering in the Siemens portfolio: "The Vectron is already a well-known, successful locomotive from Siemens. Now it is also available in the Dual Mode variant. What is so special about this locomotive? Read the whole interview in BAHN MANAGER: eurailpress.de/bahn-manager (only available in German).

Condition monitoring of over-head railroad lines with camera drones

In the BMVI-funded SMARAGD project, Siemens, DLR and Copting are investigating airborne methods for predictive maintenance of rail infrastructure. Read more about our condition monitoring of overhead rail lines at DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR: eurailpress.de/ei (only available in German).

Intelligent solutions for the railroad of the future

On the way to climate-neutral mobility, the quality of the rail sector must be massively strengthened in order to fulfill the politically and socially desired backbone function of transport. Progressive digitization is making decisive contributions to this with sector-specific IT solutions. Read the entire editorial by Dr. Lars Löwenstein at ZEVrail: zevrail.de (only available in German).

Sidis WS Diagnostic Center

The increasing usage of distributed diagnostic components goes hand in hand with a growing demand for a central diagnostic system. A central diagnostic system enables the railway operator to establish the current status of a monitored overall system in real time, display the data in a clearly structured manner, diagnose all connected systems, and thus document operability of the overall system. Sidis Workstation (Sidis WS) is a holistic, central, cloud-based application for diagnostics and prediction developed for just this purpose. Read more about it at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.

An operative timetable system for automated driving

This article describes the functions of an operative timetable system which are important for automated driving in railway systems. In addition to the provision of a functional description of the system, a system overview will also be given from the point of view of an operative timetable system used in a specific customer project. Furthermore, the article also summarises the prospects for future projects using this technology. Read more at Signal+Draht: eurailpress.de/sd.