REAKTIVATOR: A new rail vehicle for rural areas

The REAKTIVATOR project is part of the REAKT Innovation Community and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with 741,000 euros.

Under the leadership of Kiel University of Applied Sciences (HAW Kiel), two lightweight rail vehicles suitable for operation on reactivated railway lines are to be developed, designed and built over the next two years. The project partners are Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (CAU) and Muthesius University of the Arts, Kiel. To achieve this, the vehicle concept, operational logic and user interface must be rethought from scratch, explains project leader Prof. Dr.-Ing. Henning Strauß. “We are breaking new ground. Our rail vehicles are designed to be lightweight. The target weight is approximately 3.5 tonnes. To achieve this, we will have to do without certain comfort features, amongst other things. For example, there will be no air conditioning, as this not only adds weight but also requires additional energy. We are also relying on lightweight materials such as carbon fibre, which we will likely use for the prototype, in order to drastically reduce the overall weight through the clever selection of materials.”

The vehicles, which can accommodate between four and six passengers, are to be designed for two-way traffic on single-track lines. Instead of waiting at passing loops, passengers will transfer from one vehicle to another via the ends – without the need for a platform. The vehicle is not to exceed a speed of approximately 20 km/h; however, high availability and short overall journey times are intended to create an attractive transport service.

Prior to his appointment at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Strauß worked at DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung and is the project manager for the student racing team ‘Raceyard’. The two REAKTIVATOR prototypes will be developed at the Institute of Production Engineering and CIMTT, meaning that, thanks to the proximity to ‘Raceyard’, sufficient expertise from student racing will also be incorporated into the project. He is supported in this by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulf Schümann from the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering at HAW Kiel. Schümann is contributing his expertise in the design and implementation of the powertrain, including power electronics and the battery.

Prof. Dr Reinhard von Hanxleden heads the Chair of Real-Time Systems/Embedded Systems at the Institute of Computer Science at Kiel University (CAU) and brings his expertise in the design of safety-critical systems to REAKTIVATOR. This includes on-demand control and remote control, for which programming tools developed in collaboration with UC Berkeley, amongst others, are to be utilised. An ‘easy-to-use’ concept is also to be developed, in which passengers – as with car-sharing – will be able to drive a REAKTIVATOR vehicle themselves after a brief briefing, without any additional specialist staff on board. “In doing so, we are drawing on the experience we have gained with the REAKTOR test vehicle, a small four-seater rail vehicle developed in-house,” said von Hanxleden. “The REAKTOR undertook its first remote-controlled journey in June, setting off from Lütjenburg with the control centre located in the university’s high-rise building.”

Prof. Detlef Rhein from the Muthesius University of Fine Arts and Design in Kiel is responsible for industrial design and user-centred design. The aim is to create an intuitive product design that makes the process of changing vehicles an intuitive experience. This is complemented by the development of digital interfaces – such as an app for booking the vehicle. “We are now working together to develop a technologically innovative and appealing vision for rail-based mobility in rural areas, one that stands out clearly from existing solutions,” explains Rhein. “The real-world laboratory between Bad Malente and Lütjenburg serves as the platform for this. A major challenge now is to ensure that the hoped-for positive perception of the quality of use and appearance is actually realised with the first test set-ups and prototypes that have been built.”

The result is not a finished end product, but a working demonstrator that can be experienced on the reactivated Malente–Lütjenburg line. The REAKT innovation initiative has been using the route for research purposes for several years. Once the project ends, one vehicle will remain at HAW Kiel and one at CAU. Both vehicles are intended to serve as open platforms for further research projects on autonomy, propulsion and passenger interaction – even after the funding has ended.