Goods transport on Germany’s rails is booming. To manage the
increasing challenges to people and materials, innovative railroad technology
is in demand. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will exhibit two new safety
technologies at the InnoTrans trade show in Berlin from September 18–21 (Hall
4.1, Booth 225): a scanner that measures passing trains at full speed, and
sensors that provide early detection of damage to railroad vehicles through
preventative maintenance.
According to the latest figures from the German Federal
Statistics Office, the volume of goods transported by rail increased by almost
20 percent to 375 million tonnes from 2009 to 2011. However, growth also leads
to higher stresses: While freight and railcars have to withstand greater
demands, train engineers and railway logisticians have to contend with shorter
delivery times.