InnoTrans Podcast Britta Wolters, Kerstin Schulz

The new age of mobility will be flexible, connected and intermodal. A train, e-bike or perhaps door-to-door service? In the future, travellers will use individual or combined forms of transport and manage them all with an app. In the podcast Michael Frankenberg, CEO of Hacon, explains how mobility-as-a-service works and the challenges that come with it. Hacon is a subsidiary of Siemens Mobility.
In September, InnoTrans is addressing mobility-as-a-service developments, and in the Public Transport segment will for the first time host a themed display area under the heading ‘Mobility+’. This is where companies exhibiting supplementary mobility services can meet domestic and international transport companies, transport networks and administrations.

The ultrafine particles emitted by cars and trains impair the air quality in many cities. Braking also releases ultrafine particles into the environment. Measuring no more than a virus in size, they penetrate human tissue and are damaging to health. In the podcast, Christophe Rocca-Serra, founder and CEO of Tallano Technologie, talks about the braking system he has designed which reduces particle emissions by 90 per cent. These are vacuumed directly at source from the brake shoes to ensure they cannot disperse into the environment. In addition to the podcast, other InnoTrans media releases are also highlighting rail technology and mobility innovations. InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will present the InnoTrans Report – a B2B trade magazine – and the InnoTrans Daily newsletter.

Not too cold, not too hot, and well ventilated – in fact just right. Air-conditioning systems ensure the well-being of passengers on buses and trains.
In the podcast, Dr. Wolfgang Reuter explains the trends and innovations taking place in passenger air-conditioning. According to the board of Konvekta AG, it is important to reduce the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems and their impact on the environment by using CO2 as a natural coolant. One especially innovative idea is to use fuel cell-generated heat to regulate the temperature in passenger compartments.

An all-round service and on-board travel comfort are part of an optimum passenger experience. InnoTrans features its own Travel Catering & Comfort Services (TCCS) themed segment, which will be presented by InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz.

Expanding cities, the impact of Covid, the climate crisis and a shortage of skilled workers mean that the rail industry is also facing challenges. In the InnoTrans Podcast Pedro Fortea, director general of the Spanish railway association MAFEX, explains what it means for this sector. In addition to global trends, the rail industry must also confront changing market conditions, technological developments and regulatory demands. To this can be added the coronavirus pandemic, a resultant decline in passenger numbers, and an industry that is unattractive to young people. According to Pedro Fortea, it is important to get people back onto public transport. What is more, the rail industry needs to communicate how important it is for society. In 2022 his focus is on InnoTrans, the leading trade fair for railway technology. The “mecca for railway professionals” is the event every railway professional wants to visit at least once in a lifetime.

In addition, InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will introduce the International Press Circle, an exclusive opening media event for press representatives from Germany and abroad, which will take place on the eve of the opening of the trade fair.

Battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems are among those posing new fire safety challenges. In the InnoTrans Podcast Roger Dirksmeier, managing director of FOGTEC, explains how firefighting measures must adapt. From the point of view of efficiency and safety it is important to look at fire safety as an integrated system. Furthermore, battery-electric and fuel cell drives require a new infrastructure to efficiently combat fires. In that context, FOGTEC has conducted numerous tests under real-life conditions. The digital transformation also opens up new possibilities for fire safety, for instance in maintenance. But who owns the data?

Pandrol and Thomas Lorent, technical director for sustainable resilient systems, talk about current and future challenges facing railway infrastructures. Nowadays, making infrastructures available should be rapid and life cycle costs very low. Infrastructures must also withstand all kinds of negative events. Recent images of flooded subway stations were impressive proof of how important it is to be prepared for climate change. Infrastructure construction and maintenance continue to have a big impact on the carbon footprint of the rail sector, which makes it all the more important to build longevity into an infrastructure from the start. Eco-oriented design is also an important aspect of sustainability.

In the InnoTrans Podcast, both guests will also talk about the role that digitalisation plays for railway infrastructures. This is where an intelligent early warning system is needed to detect infrastructure problems and minimise outages.