BERLIN – TRANSPORTATION – Bombardier Transportation opened a new high-tech laboratory in Mannheim today with the Baden-Württemberg Transport Minister, Winfried Hermann and the Thuringian Environment Minister, Anja Siegesmund in attendance. The guests also included the Mayor of Mannheim, Lothar Quast. Bombardier Transportation has invested around 1 million euro in the new laboratory. The groups involved in the construction were, for the most part, businesses from Mannheim and the surrounding area.
The new high-tech hub will develop and test pioneering electronics systems for train control (TCMS) and signalling and control systems. That means Mannheim will see the brains of trains being programmed and work being done on the digital network for communication between the train and track section for greater safety in rail transport. Both are key elements in the digitisation strategy of the federal government and the rail industry. Around 40 employees have their ultra-modern workplace in the IT laboratory, which boasts around 1,140 square metres of floor space.
“The laboratory for vehicle control and signalling technology that we are officially inaugurating here today in Mannheim offers all possibilities to make the rail transport of the future safer and more efficient,” emphasised Transport Minister Winfried Hermann. “In Germany, we are at the precipice of a dramatic technological revolution – including in railways. Digitisation of railways will allow us to respond adequately to the automation of road transport and to secure competitiveness within Europe.”
“Mannheim is a site with a long tradition that has for over 100 years been set apart by its pioneering spirit. The company is banking on this location. We are making targeted investments here in future technologies,” says Michael Fohrer, Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Germany. “With the high-tech laboratory, we are vigorously driving digitalisation forward. What’s more, we offer an exciting career prospect in Mannheim for bright minds who want to work with us and shape the mobility of tomorrow.”
During the inauguration, visitors were also able to learn more about Mannheim’s contribution to Bombardier’s new battery-powered train. The battery components for this BOMBARDIER TALENT 3-type train come from Mannheim. The train can run quietly and cleanly on non-electrified sections of track. It is the first battery-powered train to be newly developed in Europe for more than 60 years. It will go into operation in 2019, with the testing phase beginning in September 2018. The battery-powered train is Bombardier’s smart response to challenges such as pollutant emissions, climate change and scarcity of resources.
About Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is a global leader in rail technology and offers the broadest portfolio in the industry. It covers the full spectrum of rail solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling.
