enableATO (Automated rail transport as the basis for sustainable, connected mobility in rural areas) is a project within the German Centre for Future Mobility (DZM). At RailCampus OWL, there is a project consortium of universities, Fraunhofer Institutes in the region and businesses, driving forward technologies for automated, rail-based mobility concepts, researching the basic technologies required for this and identifying interfaces between rail-based mobility and other modes of transport in rural areas.

It focuses on technologies related to automated driving, such as perception through sensors, authorisation issues, intelligent maintenance and the demonstration of technologies. At the same time, the project investigates initial questions of user acceptance and embolsters the scientific dialogue. Additionally, the project trials and demonstrates existing research projects such as the driverless transport system MONOCAB or the two-way vehicle in Minden and Extertal as part of enableATO.

MONOCABs are compact, gyro-stabilised and autonomous monorail vehicles that can operate bidirectionally on a single track. They support autonomous and connected public transport mobility in polycentric and rural areas by reactivating disused railway lines at low cost, providing a flexible, innovative form of transport. The vehicles can carry up to six people without barriers, run on battery power at speeds of up to 60 km/h and only place minimal demands on the infrastructure.

In addition to the cost-effective reactivation of old railway lines, the MONOCAB system enables innovative and cost-effective quarter, campus or city rail systems and is also suitable for the transport of goods. Together with an on-demand operating concept, the MONOCAB represents a demand-orientated, user-friendly way of transport that can be operated efficiently even with low passenger quantities. The MONOCAB thus supports the transformation of mobility, particularly in rural areas, towards a sustainable overall system.

The idea for the MONOCAB sprang from volunteers and was honoured with the German Mobility Award Open Innovation in 2018. The idea is now being further developed under the leadership of Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts together with partners from Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Fraunhofer IOSB-INA into an innovative project not only for rural areas, but also as an ‘Individual Public Transport (IPNV)’ service.

The MONOCAB ready project is funded by:

The ‘AuToRail OWL -Automated Transport of Road and Rail Goods OWL’ project is developing a concept for a resource-saving road-rail vehicle for transporting goods and, in the long term, people by rail and road. The vision of the ‘AuToRail OWL’ project is an automated rail vehicle that can also travel on the road. This could help solve the ‘last mile problem’ and make the resource-efficient rail infrastructure accessible to destinations without a direct rail connection: Long distances are travelled by rail, sections without tracks by road – and all this without the need to provide any special infrastructure.

Essentially, the aim is to automate the change of route between road and rail and vice versa in such a way that this takes place with the least possible loss of time. By dispensing with infrastructure measures, the aim is to enable subsequent integration into the existing rail network.

The aim is to combine the advantages of road transport, including good connections to firms, with the advantages of rail transport, such as congestion-free and climate-friendly transport without time-consuming reloading of freight. The main application of the vehicle is on single-track railway lines in rural regions. Here, the road-rail vehicle can make a significant contribution to the reactivation of unused railway lines. However, development work must first be carried out before the vehicle can be used in practice.

The DiBaMi project is developing measures for a smooth flow of traffic and a pleasant stay at the railway station. In the future showcase station, information and assistance robots will support passengers. The project consists of four sub-projects:

1. Service robots
Most prominently, the development and trial use of service robots stands in the foreground at Minden station. The robots are designed to make boarding and disembarking easier for older passengers and passengers with limited mobility – by providing information on which connections and other means of transport are available, accompanying passengers to the next link in the mobility chain, such as a bus stop, and taking over their luggage. Service robots can also increase safety for rail travellers changing trains at deserted stations if they are equipped with emergency call buttons.

2. Robot monitoring
In another sub-project implemented by the universities of Paderborn and Bielefeld, methods are being developed to automatically monitor the condition of the robot and allow the machine to change its behaviour if, for example, the battery is running low. Possible operating and environmental conditions of the railway station are taken into account. The aim is to enable energy-efficient, robust operation.

3. Showcase mobility hub Minden railway station
In the sub-project ‘Schaufenster Mobilitätshub Bahnhof Minden’, the researchers identify and test additional use cases. Innovation scouts are being trained for the sub-project to drive forward the development of new solutions for sustainable mobility. Studies are being conducted to survey visitors to the station about the digital railway station. The surveys will be analysed in courses at the four participating universities, among other things. The railway station is to become a ‘third place’ for collaboration and extracurricular learning. An online portal supports this, while dialogue formats have citizens talking about their mobility needs and the innovations.

4. Communication network
A sub-project is also developing the technical communication network for the robots and the showcase station. The 4G/5G network of a telecommunications company is used for this. This will make it possible, for example, to monitor the operating status of a robot and its position in real time.