Future rail vehicles

Challenge description

The Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen) already cover 100 percent of their traction power requirements with green electricity. Almost three-quarters of the ÖBB network is electrified. 90 percent of the trains carrying passengers are operated electrically.

In order to be able to take another step towards carbon neutrality in the railway sector, additional route electrification - where this is economically feasible - as well as the conversion of the rail vehicle fleet to alternative drive concepts are necessary. This can be achieved, for example, by the use of emission-free hybrid vehicles (locomotives and railcars) or by completely new vehicle concepts or drive technologies. Conversely, climate-induced temperature rise places increasing demands on the wagon rolling stock and passenger comfort. In this context, the following questions arise:

• How could future concepts for an emission-free shunting of wagon material, especially in urban areas, look like? (Transition from diesel shunting locomotives to hybrid concepts or even autonomous freight wagons)
• How could the use of railcars with alternative drive concepts look like in order to sustainably ensure economic operation on non-electrified branch lines?
• What demands do passengers make on the passenger cars of the future? How should a passenger car be designed to encourage people to switch from road to rail? How can – e.g. also in view of steadily increasing temperatures – the attractiveness of the railway, in particular the car material, be increased?
• How can the cooling of the drive components of electrically operated locomotives and railcars (transformers, converters, traction motors) be improved in order to ensure even more efficient heat dissipation in the future? The cooling devices (fans) of rail vehicles contribute significantly to noise emissions, which are perceived as disturbing by residents along railway lines and stations as well as by passengers on the platforms.

Challenge vision

Solutions should focus on:

• Alternative drive technologies and vehicle concepts
• Dealing with changed framework conditions in the future: higher air temperatures and humidity, noise emissions, diesel ban, new standards etc.
• Meeting customer / passenger requirements: punctuality, comfort (WC availability, air conditioning, onboard restaurant, WiFi connectivity) etc.

Solution targets:

• Development of technically feasible ideas / concepts for rail vehicles
• Solution must make a significant contribution to climate protection
• Resource-saving and socially acceptable use of material (global footprint) must be included in the concept
• Concept must be suitable to be used as the basis for a prototype
• Providing ideas for further development together with the challenge host
• Thinking outside the box is expressly welcomed

Non-targets:

• Solutions that cause additional fossil energy consumption or environmentally sensitive resource extraction (e.g. rare earth elements)
• Solutions that are protected by copyright
• Preparation of economic and technical calculations
• Creation of an app

This challenge is hosted by ÖBB Technische Services GmbH. ÖBB TS is responsible for the entire maintenance of rail vehicles and for the technical specification for the purchase of rail vehicles in the ÖBB Group. ÖBB TS is constantly looking for new / forward-looking ideas and concepts for optimizing rail vehicles and their maintenance.

The winners of the Challenge are invited to present the developed solutions as part of a general manager breakfast at ÖBB TS.