On Monday, 22.01.2024, our Chair excursion for the course "Airport Management I" took place. We met at Cologne/Bonn Airport in the afternoon and first drove to the DFS control tower. We were warmly welcomed on site and given an introduction to the history of DFS at the airport, as well as the special aspects of air traffic control at the three runway airport. We then continued our excursion with a airport airside tour. We were able to observe cargo and passenger handling from up close. A special highlight was the tour of the A300 Zero-G aircraft, which was formerly used for parabolic flights.

Following the successful completion of the development of the cause-effect relationship ("UWZ") between the use of funds and the quality of the station infrastructure, DB InfraGO AG Geschäftsbereich Personenbahnhöfe commissioned the Institute of Transport Sciences to extend the UWZ approaches to other asset classes. The aim is to forecast the condition of the other asset classes depending on the available budget for maintenance and replacement.

On behalf of the German Center for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF), the VIA, in cooperation with quattron management consulting GmbH, the Institute for Construction Management, Digital Construction and Robotics in Civil Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, the University of Passau with the Chair of Public Law and albert.ing GmbH, will investigate processes and strategies for effective planning and implementation of construction measures with minimal restriction of network capacity. The project is planned to start in January 2024. Further information can be found here.

Tamme Emunds, Christopher Wink, Martin Lempp, Karim Monem, Björn Dickenbrok, and Nils Nießen of the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and DB Netz AG have published the peer-reviewed paper "Predicting interlocking malfunctions for the railway network in Germany" in Transport Research Procedia (Volume 72) by Elsevier. The paper can be viewed and downloaded in full as open access here.

On Monday, November 20, the kick-off meeting of the Speed Funds took place at RWTH Aachen University. Every year, the Hans Herrmann Voss Foundation and RWTH Aachen University make funds available for the "Speed Funds" funding format to support Master's theses by talented students.
Our Master's student Inga von Scheliha received funding under the program for her thesis on "Modelling the climate-relevant environmental impact of infrastructure elements of rail, road and air transport" at the Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research. On November 20, she took part in the presentation of the funded Master's thesis topics and briefly explained her topic to representatives of the foundation, students and pupils. We wish all the best with her ongoing work!

Felix Lampe, Maren Maus, Lea Elfert and Nils Nießen from the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and the Institute of Technology and Management in Construction at KIT have published the peer-reviewed article "Influence of Different Prioritization Approaches of Maintenance and Replacement Measures on Station Infrastructure Quality" in the special issue "Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering" of the journal Applied Science (Volume 13, Issue 23) by MDPI. The article can be viewed and downloaded as open access here.

The 4th International Railway Symposium Aachen (IRSA23) took place on November 22-23 at the Eurogress in Aachen with over 250 international participants. The event was organized for the first time by DVV Media Group / Eurailpress. The Research Center Railways of RWTH Aachen University was the content partner. The VIA was represented at the IRSA with four presentations. We would like to thank all participants and sponsors and look forward to seeing you again in 2025.

The DB specialist book "Planungs- und Betriebsmanagement für das System Bahn"" has been published by the Bahn Fachverlag. Prof. Nießen and Prof. Oetting (TU Darmstadt) are the editors. The team of authors is complemented by experts from Deutsche Bahn and DB Netz AG. The topics covered range from line planning and timetabling to operations management, planning and implementation of construction work and capacity calculations.

Last week Athanasios Titonis, CEO of Mactan-Cebu International Airport welcomed our students in Aachen for the Airport Management I lecture. The lecture included aspects of airport organisation, acquisition of new airlines and the aviation market. From his many years of international experience in the aviation industry, Mr. Titonis brought valuable insights into the lecture. We are looking forward to welcome the student and Mr. Titonis back for the Airport Management 2 lecture in the summer semester.

In November 2023, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course "Basics of Railway Control, Signalling and Safety" at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.

On November 10, the RWTH Science Night "5 to 12" will take place. The Railway Signalling Lab (ELVA) will be open between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. Additional, guided tours will also be offered. More information can be found here.

In September 2023, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

We look back with pleasure on a very successful DLRK 2023 in September. In Stuttgart, the Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research was represented by two researchers. On the first day of the congress, the following two scientific presentations were held in the topic area of Urban and Regional Air Mobility: "Data-based demand analysis for air services for passenger transport in North Rhine-Westphalia" (J. Rösing).
"Simulative determination of the operational capacity of a generic passenger handling system for on-demand air taxi services" (M. Cakir)
Furthermore, the second session "Urban and Regional Air Mobility" was chaired by Juliane Rösing. Further information on the congress is available at the following link. The publications will also be available on the website in the upcoming weeks.

From 18 - 20 October, the 20th edition of the SITRAER Air Transportation Symposium took place in Joinville, Brazil. Representing the Institute of Transport Science, Idoaldo de Lima and Eva Feldhoff participated in the event and presented their current research on resilience in passenger handling systems and vertiport operations simulation. We are very happy to have been part of this event and connect once more with our partner university Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) and the Brazilian scientific community of air transportation. Congratulations to the Brazilian Air Transportation Research Society (SBTA) and the UFSC University for the great organization of the symposium!

On the 18th and 19th of September the 4th Congress "Railway Law and Technology" took place in Passau, Germany. More then 100 lawyers, engineers and representatives of the European regulatory authorities joined this congress to discuss current developments in both fields.
A small group of ours also took part in the congress. We are delighted for the numerous interesting conversations and great suggestions. The event was presented by the German Federal Railway Authority, the chair of public law at the University of Passau, the chair of public law at the University of Frankfurt and the Institute of Transport Science of RWTH Aachen University. The organization was handled by the DVV Media Group / Eurailpress.
(Image source: Dennis Dukart)

As part of the lecture series "Ausgewählte Aspekte des Schienenbahnwesens", an excursion to the Duisburg operations center of DB Netz AG took place on September 13. The students were first introduced to an operations center's tasks in an exciting guided tour. Afterwards, the dispatcher's conflict resolution measures could be discussed in the situation center using current examples and their available tools could be presented.

Many thanks to the employees of the Duisburg operations center for the interesting insights and to Dr. Andreas Kaldenbach for organizing the excursion.

Within the project, fundamental scientific preliminary work was carried out on behalf of DB Netz AG for an update of the track standards in guideline family 413 "Designing infrastructure" and a recommendation for the design of minimum elements of the operational infrastructure was developed. Furthermore, standard elements of node design were investigated and planning recommendations were derived for this.

Mr. Albrecht Morast passed his doctoral examination on August 24th, 2023. The title of his dissertation is: "Driverless railway operations on secondary lines - Potentials of different operational concepts". The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

This year, for the first time, the VIA was able to win the traditional soccer tournament of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and brought the cup to the institute. Our team "Lokomotive VIA" showed a great performance and was well supported by the colleagues.

At the end of the course "Operation and Management of Rail Freight Systems", we visited the Cologne-Eifeltor combined transport terminal last week together with the students. During an exciting guided tour of the site, we were able to experience the processes on site live and observe the loading operations at first hand. Many thanks to the employees of the Deutsche Umschlaggesellschaft Schiene-Straße (DUSS) mbH for the fascinating insights behind the scenes of the combined transport terminal!

On behalf of state-owned Centre of Competence for Climate, Environment and Noise Protection in Aviation (CENA Hessen), VIA has developed alternative departure profiles to those specified in the Berechnungsmethode für den Umgebungslärm von Flugplätzen (BUF) dataset. A Noise Abatement Departure Procedure (NADP) 2 and a NADP 1 procedure with thrust cutback and acceleration altitude at 1500ft, as well as the influence of speed restrictions along the route on the departure profiles, were assessed. The developed profiles will be used for the analysis of their impact on the noise contours at Frankfurt Airport.

Mr. Peter Laumen passed his doctoral examination on June 30th, 2023. The title of his dissertation is: "ETCS Level 1 in the Context of Digital Interlocking Technology". The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

This year we were pleased to once again visit the Rurtalbahn with our students of the railway control, signalling and safety lab. After short presentations in Düren, we visited the upgraded and modernised Zülpich station on the Bördebahn.
Many thanks to the Rurtalbahn for these unique insights!

On behalf of the German Center for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF) and in cooperation with the quattron management consulting GmbH, the Institute for the Didactics of Law of the University of Passau and the neXt Capacity GmbH, the VIA develope a concept of Digital Capacity Management (DCM) for the overall rail system. The project kick-off is scheduled for July. You can find further information hier.

The Institute of Transport Science again supported Scheidt & Bachmann in the project planning of the digital ETCS Level 1 Full Supervision plus for Luxembourg. For the next expansion stage of the Ettelbrück node as well as the equipment of the Colmar-Usines station with an integrated ETCS interlocking and simplified external signalling, the technical and operational requirements had to be transferred into the implementation in ETCS.

In May 2023, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course "Basics of Railway Control, Signalling and Safety" at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.

The Research Center Railways of RWTH Aachen University has agreed to cooperate with Southwest Jiaotong University in the field of railways in June 2023. Southwest Jiaotong University is one of the leading universities in the field of transportation in China. The cooperation covers both the areas of teaching and research. We are looking forward to the collaboration and exchange.

On June 6th 2023 the bonding InstitutsMarkt will take place in the Aula in the Main Building of RWTH Aachen University. We will be there as well and are looking forward to many interesting conversations with students and visitors.

Last month, the LNAS@CGN research project was successfully completed. Together with the partners DLR, Eurowings and Cologne/Bonn Airport, the effects of the new system on conventional and alternative steep approach procedures were investigated within the framework of the pilot assistance system LNAS (Low Noise Augmentation System), which is currently under development. Significant potentials for noise and pollutant reductions in landing operations were detected. The long-term goal is to introduce LNAS into commercial flight operations. The project was funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Nature and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MUNV).

On 11th May the 15th Wissenschaftsforum Mobilität (Science Forum Mobility) of the University Duisburg-Essen took place in Duisburg. Many interesting presentations and discussions were held on the topic "Next Chapter in Mobility". The VIA was represented by Nadine Friesen with a presentation on "External Costs in the Transport Sector" and by Juliane Rösing and Sebastian Harm with a poster contribution on "Demand Analysis for Air Taxi Services in North Rhine-Westphalia". We thank all participants for their great interest in our contributions and look forward to the next event.

The 12th meeting of the Airside Simulation and Performance Assessment Group (ASPAG) took place in Barcelona from 27 to 28 April. The focus was on the exchange of information on current developments in the fields of capacity and efficiency in flight operations with aviation colleagues from all over the world. New for this meeting was a workshop session on UAV operations. The VIA contributed on the topics of "Vertiport Operations and Capacity Analysis with Event-Oriented Simulation" and "Aerodrome Capacities for STOL Air Taxi Operations". We would like to thank the ASPAG team for the great organisation and look forward to the next event in autumn.

FET will take place for the fourth time on 18 and 19 September 2023 in Passau. The event will once again highlight topics between railway law and technology and is aimed at jurists and practitioners. As usual, the Federal Railway Authority and the chairs and professorships of public law at the Universities of Passau and Frankfurt and the Chair of Railway Engineering and Transport Economics at RWTH Aachen University will arrange the content. Further information and the possibility to register are available here.

The 10th Conference on Railway Operations Modeling and Analysis (ICROMA) was held in Belgrade from April 25-28. VIA was represented in large numbers at Rail Belgrade 2023 and presented several research results at the conference.

The conference paper "Modelling Time in the Timetable-Based Railway Network Design Problem" by Nadine Friesen was awarded at RailBelgrade 2023 and selected as one of the 10 best papers. The paper was co-authored with Tim Sander from TU Dresden and conducted as part of a DFG project.

Alexandra Liebhold, Shota Miyoshi, Nils Nießen, and Takafumi Koseki of the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems at the University of Tokyo have published the peer reviewed article "Onboard train speed optimization for energy saving using the prediction of block clearing times under real-time rescheduling" in the Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management (JRTPM, Volume 26) by Elsevier. The article can be viewed and downloaded in full as free access before June 15, 2023 here.

In the summer semester 2023, the course "Automated Urban Transportation Systems" will be offered for the first time. PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Lars Schnieder will lecture on the fundamentals of automated operation of urban transportation systems and the protective functions required for this. Different degrees of automation (GoA) and their fields of application will be in focus. In addition, specific issues for conversion projects to automated operation will be presented.
The lectures will take place as a block lecture on the following three dates:

• 21.04.2023
• 26.05.2023
• 16.06.2023

This summer semester, Dr. Andreas Kaldenbach of NEXTRAIL is going to give the lecture series "Selected Aspects of Railways". The topic "Introduction to Train Path Management" will be the subject of five block events, starting with an introduction on May 9th, 2023 at 12:30 pm in room BS 312.
Registration via RWTHonline is required.

In February and March 2023, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

In February 2023, the Transport Science Institute conducts a further training course "Railway Operations" for employees of "Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen" (VDV = Association of German Transport Companies).

Following the successful completion of the development of the cause-effect relationship ("UWZ") between the use of funds and the quality of the railway infrastructure, DB Netz AG commissioned the Institute of Transport Sciences to provide support in forecasting the network condition grade ("NZN"). The NZN enables an assessment of the infrastructure quality across all asset classes on the basis of a grading logic. In order to achieve the forecasting capability of the NZN, the UWZ models are to be integrated into the NZN logic.

New year, new project! We're happy to announce the start of the research project VertiNet, founded by the mFUND program. The project aims at developing a demand-oriented network of vertiports for the case study North-Rhine Westphalia. Vertiports will be the key infrastructure to enable urban air taxi services. Site selection and demand-oriented infrastructure design will be essential for the strategic and sustainable development of this new means of transport. More information can be found here.
As part of the project launch, a public kick-off meeting for interested parties will be held on February 13, 2023 from 09:30-11:00. Information about the project start and the kick-off meeting can be found in the press release (in german).

On 26.01.2023, the excursion to the lecture "Planning and Design of Airports II" took place. 20 participants visited the Boeing Digital Solutions Lab in Neu-Isenburg and gained insights about Boeing's research activities in Germany. Afterwards, the trip was continued to Frankfurt Airport. During a two-hour apron tour, the participants experienced the daily operations of an international hub airport.

In January 2023, the Transport Science Institute conducts a two day further training course "Railway Operations" for employees of quattron management consulting GmbH.

The destination of this year's excursion (29.05. - 02.06.2023) of the RWTH transport chairs will be Budapest. The journey will take place with the night train via Vienna. Program points are a CT Terminal, the autonomous shuttle Seefeld (Vienna), a Freeway Administration and the Airport Budapest.

Students interested in joining the excursion can register with Felix Lampe (room 103.3), starting 02.02.2023, 8:30 am.

Albrecht Morast, Gudrun Voß, Pia Dautzenberg, Peter Urban, and Nils Nießen of the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) have published the peer reviewed article "A survey on the acceptance of unattended trains" in the Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management (JRTPM, Volume 25) by Elsevier. The article can be viewed and downloaded in full as free access before February 27, 2023 here.

In November 2022, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course in Railway Control, Signalling and Safety at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of Israel Railways.

What does the future of rail transport look like? Which strategies appear promising? What challenges are emerging? These questions will be answered by Dr.-Ing. Bastian Kogel and Fabian Stoll, M.Sc. on 09.01.2023 as part of the "Leonardo" project of RWTH Aachen University in the module "Mobility Perspectives - The Future of Passenger Mobility". For more information, please click here.

Punctual trains, more frequent intervals and faster connections are expected to make rail transport more attractive. But what about capacities? In the VDI podcast (in german) Technik aufs Ohr, Prof. Nießen talks about the mobility transformation and discusses the question: How do we get more traffic on the railways? More information is available here (in german).

In November 2022, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Track constrution and line routing" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for Stadtwerke Bonn employees.

In November 2022, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course "Basics of Railway Control, Signalling and Safety" at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.

The ninth Transport Research Arena (TRA) took place in Lisbon from November 14 to 17, 2022. The TRA is the largest European research and technology conference on transport and mobility. VIA researchers published four papers or posters and presented their research results at the conference.

On the 29th October, the "Tag der Drohnen" took place at the OecherLab. The VIA presented the concept of the research project URAF (Urban and Regional Air Freight) at a stand. URAF is a joint project of the VIA with various institutes of RWTH Aachen University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) and Aachen-Merzbrück airfield. At the " Tag der Drohnen", many exciting discussions were held with interested people and a survey on the acceptance of drones was conducted. In addition, the project was presented through various posters, a roll-up and a small drone model.

In the course of the meeting of the "Airside Simulation and Performance Assessment Group" (ASPAG) in Trieste, Italy, from 03-04.11.2022, the VIA was represented by two members of the Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research. Many interesting discussions and talks about airside simulation were held with participants from Europe and worldwide. Issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed and probability distributions in simulations were dealt with in a workshop. The presentations on the topic of "Airside Simulation for General Aviation Airports" were particularly interesting, as these are most related to current research projects of the Chair.

The "CAST User Conference 2022" took place at Berlin Airport from 03-04.11.2022. The VIA was represented by a member of the Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research. In the course of the conference, which was attended by visitors from all over the world, there were various presentations on the use of CAST software in industry, education and consulting. In addition, there was the opportunity to exchange views with experts on the own use of CAST for the VENTUS research project. A special ending to the conference was an airport tour at BER on Friday evening. We thank ARC for the invitation and look forward to the next CAST User Conference in 2023.

The 19th edition of the SITRAER Air Transportation Symposium took place from October 25th to 27th in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Two research associates of the Institute of Transport Science participated in the event. The conference included a great range of presentations from academia, industry and government in Brazil and abroad. Furthermore, a technical tour to the Guarulhos airport in São Paulo provided impressive insights into the Brazilian air transportation system.

Following the successful completion of the project to model the cause-effect relationship for station infrastructure, DB Station&Service AG commissioned the Institute of Transportation Sciences to scientifically analyze and evaluate the further developed BAQ methodology. The BAQ methodology for measuring station infrastructure quality is part of the Performance and Financing Agreement.

How well is NRW connected to public transport? The WDR is currently investigating this question and asked Dr. Bastian Kogel for his assessment. He comments on the key factors for improving the setup of public transport in the future.
For more information, please click here: https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/oepnv-nrw-reichweite-verkehr-bus-bahn-100.html.

Also this year we went on tour together - this time exploring the region by bike. A perfect opportunity for the new colleagues to arrive in the team.

We are pleased to welcome PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Lars Schnieder as a new lecturer at our institute. In his inaugural lecture entitled "Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence for Railway Applications" and the subsequent discussion, he addressed one of the most important topics in the railway sector of the coming years.

Trade visitors were able to visit the booth of the Research Center Railways (RCR) of RWTH Aachen University at this year's InnoTrans in Berlin from September 20 to 23. The VIA as well as the participating institutes informed about current research projects and cooperations. We would like to thank all visitors for the interesting discussions.

On 08 and 09 September, the autumn meeting of the Association of University Professors of Railway Engineering (VUE) took place in Braunschweig. The event was organised by Prof. Siefer of the TU Braunschweig. In addition to the professional exchange, an accompanying programme with a tour of the Herzog August Library rounded off the successful event.

Since 2016, the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and the Brazilian Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) form a research cooperation. After two years of Covid-related travel restrictions, the cooperation is now being re-intensified. In this context, a seminar in presence was held at ITA in São José dos Campos on 16.09.2022 to present and discuss the ongoing research projects at the VIA and possible future collaborations between the institutes. We thank ITA for the warm welcome and the informative exchange.

In September 2022, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

From September 20 to 23, the International Trade Fair for Transport Technology - InnoTrans will take place in Berlin. The VIA will be represented at the joint stand of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) within the Research Center Railways (RCR). We are looking forward to your visit in hall 2.2, booth 410.

The Institute of Transport Science, together with the Institute of Rail Vehicles (IFS) of RWTH Aachen University and DB Cargo AG, invites you to the "Rail Day 2022" in Aachen. In addition to a visit the Railway Signalling Lab, there will be the opportunity to visit the IFS testing facilities as well as locomotives and driver's cabs of DB Cargo AG. We would like to welcome you on 17.09.2022 from 10:00 to 16:00 at our locations near Aachen West Station. You can find more information here and at www.tag-der-schiene.de.

Prof. Nießen became chairman of the Association of University Professors of Railway Engineering on 01.07.2022. The VUE brings together about 40 active and former German-speaking professors from the fields of railway construction, railway operation, control, safety and automation technology as well as railway vehicle technology.

This year we were pleased to visit the Rurtalbahn again with the students of the railway control, signalling and safety lab. After short presentations in Düren, we visited the construction site for the upgrading and modernisation of the Zülpich station on the Bördebahn.
Many thanks to the Rurtalbahn for these unique insights!

After four Semesters in online format, Mr. Athanasios Titonis, the new CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (UAE), once again visited Aachen and held the lecture Airport Management II in presence. The Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research cordially thanks Mr. Titonis for his engagement and dedication to the students.

On May 11, 2022 the VIA organized a field trip for student of the lecture "Planning and Design of Airports I". This semester, our destination was Frankfurt Airport.

Prof. Nils Nießen was elected as the new Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Civil Engineering on 11 May 2022. You can find more information here.

In March 2022, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

In May 2022, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course "Basics of Railway Control, Signalling and Safety" at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.

The VIA is now also active on LinkedIn. Here we will inform you about current projects, publications and events of VIA.

Within the framework of this project, a bidirectional correlation between financial resources and infrastructure quality was established on behalf of DB Station&Service AG. The quality is defined by the quality indicators "Assessment of Facility Quality" (BAQ) and "Functionality of Platforms and Extensive Accessibility" (FB-B). For the development of the correlation, data-based degradation functions were created and the effect of maintenance and renewal measures on the two quality indicators was modelled. The functions and effects were implemented in a software tool to fore-cast the infrastructure quality and the required budget.

In the scope of the research project "ETCS Planning and Operation" on behalf of Scheidt & Bachmann, planning rules and recommendations for the introduction and optimisation of ETCS Level 1 Full Supervision based on digital interlocking technology in Germany are being developed. We are looking forward to the continued cooperation to strengthen rail transport.

Market-oriented and resilient design is an essential objective of infrastructure dimensioning. In order to have suitable standards, the Institute of Transport Sciences was commissioned by DB Netz AG to further develop the rules and regulations for the design of operational infrastructure. Within the framework of this project, the development of adapted standards and the further development of the consideration of forecast train numbers within infrastructure dimensioning on the basis of peak periods is being investigated. In addition, more issues such as junction design will be addressed.

As part of a survey of university professors in the railway sector, a project consortium led by quattron management consulting GmbH created a data basis to identify deficits and needs for action in the current university education and research landscape in the German rail transport sector. The results led to a concept for strengthening the railway sector at universities and universities of applied sciences. Further information on the project can be found here.

At the end of 2021, the funding for the acquisition and conversion of a rail vehicle for the project BrainTrain JuLiA was approved. Now, a class 672 rolling stock could already be purchased. The vehicle is intended for testing unattended railway operations between Jülich and Linnich.

As part of the PRISMA project, DB Netz AG is renewing its IT systems. For the new data management system for dispatching data "LeiDa-D", VIA Consulting & Development GmbH is conducting corresponding employee training together with VIA. LeiDa-D will create a network-wide, centralized data stock. In the long term, it will replace the upstream legacy systems.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) granted the VIA research funds on the topic "Operational performance and profitability of network-wide integrated timetables". More information on the three-year research project can be found here.

The registered non-profit association "Förderverein des Eisenbahnwesens an der RWTH Aachen e. V. (EWAC)" aims to promote scientific work and young scientists in the field of railway engineering and support the transfer of technology and knowledge between science and industry. EWAC is closely associated with the Institute of Transport Science of RWTH Aachen University. Intended activities include lectures and discussions on knowledge of railway operations and control, signalling and safety technology. Of course, the railway signalling lab (eisenbahntechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanlage, ELVA) is also supported by EWAC. Further information is available at the association's homepage at http://www.ewac.rwth-aachen.de/ or on EWAC linkedin profile.

On 22 December 2021, Transport Minister Ina Brandes handed over the grant notification for the BrainTrain JuLiA at Jülich railway station. On the railway line between Jülich and Linnich self-driving rail operations will be researched. The initial funding will enable the Rurtalbahn and the project partners to purchase and adapt a rail vehicle for experimental and test operations. The VIA, IFS and IRT are involved on the RWTH Aachen side. Further information can be found here.

The Research Center Railways (RCR) of RWTH Aachen University held the 3rd International Railway Symposium Aachen (IRSA) from 21 - 23 November 2021. Due to the current Corona pandemic, the event took place in a hybrid format with about 160 participants. Further information can be found here.here.

On November 21-23, 2021 the 3rd International Railway Symposium Aachen will be held as a hybrid event at Aachen. You have the choice: participate at Aachen or virtually via live stream.
We look forward to seeing you.
You will find further information here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed mobility behaviour and will also have medium- and long-term consequences for the transport market. Together with the VDI, the VIA has published an article on this in ATZextra for the VDI-FVT. You can find an abstract here.

Titled "Lernen. Forschen. Machen. 150 Years of RWTH Aachen", the joint anniversary exhibition of RWTH and the city of Aachen on the occasion of the university's jubilee will be held at the Centre Charlemagne from 30 October 2021 to 13 February 2022. The Institute of Transport Sciences is participating in the exhibition with an exhibit on the history of the Railway Signalling Lab.

Today the first signal was set up in the ZSB-Berg station. This is the first step towards equipping the ELVA with signalling technology. The next step will be completing this station with further signals and the connection to the ESTW so that all signal aspects can be displayed correctly.

Scheidt & Bachmann provided us an original operating table to complete the ZSB 2000 dispatcher desk in the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA). Many thanks to Scheidt & Bachmann. We would like to continue and expand the existing cooperation in the next years.

In August and October 2021, the Transport Science Institute conducts further training course "Basics of Railway Control, Signalling and Safety" at the Railway Signalling Laboratory (ELVA) for employees of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.

Mr. Tobias Jacke passed his doctoral examination on October 7, 2021. The title of his dissertation is: "Railway operations optimization of maintenance and renewal management".
The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

At the end of September, various research and development projects relating to the aviation region Aachen were presented at the Aachen-Merzbrück airfield. Together with the Fraunhofer IPT, the Chair of Air Transport and Airport Research presented the project "Urban and Regional Air Freight (URAF)", which has been running for two years. A demonstration event will take place at the airfield next year to evaluate the concepts developed in the project for a locally emission-free, airborne freight transport chain extending into the city center.

As part of the EU funding program Shift2Rail, the Institute of Transport Science, together with the project partners EURNEX e.V., KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Institute for Rail Vehicles and Transport Systems at RWTH Aachen University, was commissioned to carry out a stakeholder analysis of the european rail transport market. The aim of Ben@Rail is to evaluate the effectiveness of EU-funded research and development activities in the railway research field among interest groups in the railway sector. You can find further Information here.

At the end of September, the members of the recently founded VUE e.V., Association of University Professors of Railway Engineering, met for their fall meeting at RWTH Aachen University. Prof Schinder (Chairman of VUE) and Prof Nie$szlig;en (Deputy Chairman) were very proud to welcome colleagues from all over Germany and Austria here in Aachen.

Within the lecture "Practice Transport Economics" we would like to give students a deeper insight into the practice based on the basic knowledge of transport economics. Lecturers from different areas of transport economics (municipalities, transport authorities, transport associations, federal authorities, infrastructure operators, transport companies and consultants) will give lectures on this topic. You can find further information (in German) here.

On behalf of the German Center for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF) and in cooperation with the VIA Consulting & Development GmbH, the Institute of Railway and Transportation Engineering of the University of Stuttgart and the Chair of Management Science of the RWTH, the VIA will work on the development of a method to calculate the capacity measures of route nodes as well as on a technique to determine network wide capacity measures. The project kick-off is scheduled for October. You can find further information (in German) here.

In August/September 2021 the Institute of Transport Science restarts the training course on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway Control, Signalling and Safety " for CFL employees started in spring 2020.

It is with great regret that we have learned that our former Senior Researcher Dr.-Ing. Klaus Walther died on Sunday, 25 July. Gratefully we look back on the time we spent together and will remember him in good memory.

The handbook "Das System Bahn" has been published in its 3rd edition. This new edition provides planners, developers, manufacturers and operators of railway systems as well as young engineers with the latest information and an outlook on the further development of the railway system. Prof. Nießen is co-editor of the handbook.

The VIA was commissioned by DB Netz AG to continue the development of the cause-effect relationship (UWZ). UWZ is part of the Performance and Financing Agreement (LuFV III) and is intended to establish a connection between available funds and the quality of the railway network that can be achieved with them on a scientific basis.

On behalf of the German Centre for Railway Traffic Research (DZSF), the VIA, together with quattron management consulting GmbH and other project partners, is investigating the current and future higher education in the rail transport sector. Further information can be found here.

Together with the Institute of Highway Engineering (ISAC), the VIA was able to successfully complete the contract to consider peak periods for dimensioning railway infrastructure. As part of the project, it was examined which extent components of the dimensioning approach of highways can be considered in the infrastructure design of railway infrastructure.

The two-year project commissioned by DB Netz AG was carried out together with project partners from TU Dresden. Indicators for timetable and operational quality were analysed and a suitable set of indicators was developed. In addition, the comparability of selected simulative and analytical methods was investigated.

The Institute of Transport Science successfully finished a study on schedule concepts for the northern route of Luxembourg commissioned by the CFL. Various concepts and variants were shaped, taking into account current developments and future targets. In particular, the concepts have been assessed by using methods of railway operations research.

The vPRO project for optimised driving speed at the SBB was carried out by Thomas Graffagnino, lecturer at the Chair of Railway Engineering and Transport Economics. The aim is to make rail traffic in Switzerland even more punctual and energy-efficient. Details about the project can be found here.

Since the reopening of the Railway Signalling Lab (ELVA), DB Training, the leading and innovative training provider in the DB Group, has held seminars in the ELVA. The successful cooperation between DB Training and the VIA will be expanded in the future. Employees of the VIA will hold different seminars with topics of railway.

Prof. Nießen will give a keynote speech on the topic of autonomous driving on rail at safe.tech on 20 April 2021. The safe.tech is organised by TÜV Süd and is already taking place for the tenth time. More information is available here. (in german)

In the newspaper Zeit, RWTH Aachen University is described as one of the future sites of science. The article about RWTH Aachen University also discusses the complex railway system and the cooperation in the research training group UnRAVeL. You can find the article here. (in german)

Mr. Bastian Kogel passed his doctoral examination on February 24, 2021. The title of his dissertation is: "Performance of railway lines taking into account the number of available overtaking tracks and minimum distances for operational crossings". The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

New monitors for the ESTW workstation were installed in the Railway Signalling lab (ELVA). The array of 8 monitors enables a flexible distribution of the operating displays for the ZSB2000 interlocking. In addition, it offers enough space for the institute's own extensions. A new operating station with 6 monitors was also set up at the dispatching workstation so that training and research operations can be carried out more efficiently.

The DFG project "Robust Infrastructure (RobIn)", which investigates the expansion to a robust railway infrastructure based on a family of timetables with mathematical optimization, has started. The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Chair of Traffic Flow Science at the TU Dresden.

For the radio program "WDR 5 Quarks - Wissenschaft und mehr" Prof. Nießen was interviewed by Daniel Schlipf on the subject of railways. The broadcast is available here (in german).

The current issue of RWTH Themen presents various projects from the profile area "Information and Communication Technology". The Institute of Transport Science is part of the profile area and presents in the issue some cooperations that have arisen within the framework of the research training group "UnRAVeL" (UNcertainty and Randomness in Algorithms, VErification and Logic).

The TV channel ZDF has broadcasted a report with the title "Die Bahn im Deutschland-Takt - Teures Versprechen oder reale Zukunft?". The thirty-minute report with an interview with Mr. Prof. Nießen and clips from the Railway Signalling Lab is available here (the report is only in German language available and was admitted before the Corona pandemic).

In the context of the "Leonardo" project of the RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Nießen will give a presentation on 14.12.2020 on the topic "Railway Operation 4.0". Further information can be found here.

The Institute of Transport Science successfully completed a feasibility study of a model for the individual examination of the achievability of the upper limit of total costs for railroad operators (OGK-model) on behalf of the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA). The report is available here (only in German language).

The video of the track guidance model of the chair of railway engineering has been viewed more than half a million times. The video was created in 2016 by the OER initiative of the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

On behalf of the German Center for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF) and in cooperation with quattron management consulting gmbh and the Chair for Computer Science 2 - Software Modeling and Verification (MOVES), the VIA develops software for the automated identification, categorization and avoidance of capacity bottlenecks based on timetable and operational data. You can find further information (in german) here.

Due to the current corona situation, unfortunately, no events can take place in the ELVA until further notice.

Within the lecture "Practice Transport Economics" we would like to give students a deeper insight into the practice based on the basic knowledge of transport economics. Lecturers from different areas of transport economics (municipalities, transport authorities, transport associations, federal authorities, infrastructure operators, transport companies and consultants) will give lectures on this topic.

On 27th Oct, 16:30, the professors and organisators will welcome the students of the study course "Railway System Engineering" and the study course coordinator will answer questions considering the study course.

You can find the login link in RWTHmoodle in the course "Railway Systems".

On behalf of the German Centre for Railway Traffic Research (DZSF), the VIA, together with VIA-Con and other project partners, is investigating the planned implementation of a digital test field on which new railroad transport technologies can be tested and validated. Further information can be found here.

In the last two years, our institute took place in the RWTH Science Night. During this event, the Signalling Lab was opened for some hours to offer guided tours. Because of the current situation, the RWTH Science Night will not take place this year. As soon as a date for the next RWTH Science Night has been fixed, the date will be published on our homepage.

Matthias Volk and Norman Weik won third place in the rail category of the TRA VISIONS 2020 Young Researcher Competition with their contribution "Reliability analysis of railway station infrastructure based on dynamic fault trees". (Video on Youtube) Congratulations!
TRA Vision is supported by the European Union. The prize in the rail category was sponsored by Shift2Rail.

DB Station&Service AG commissioned the Institute of Transportation Sciences to develop the already reviewed BAQ simulation for mapping the cause-effect relationship for LuFV III between the funding and the infrastructure quality.

The Institute of Transport Science successfully finished a project on the full automation of railway vehicles. First, operational situations that may occur in unattended railway operation were analysed, leading into a determination of their effects on the interface between the ATO system and the vehicle and suggestions for implementation from a technical and operational point of view.

The 2nd Conference on Railway Law and Technology (FET 2020) will be held on September 28 and 29, 2020 as a digital event. Organizers are the Federal Railway Authority, the Chairs of Public Law at the Universities of Frankfurt and Passau and the Chair of Railway Engineering and Transport Economics at RWTH Aachen University. Further information are available here.

Miss Barbara Rampe celebrated her 25th anniversary on September 1. The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

It was with dismay and deep sadness that we learned that our former employee Mr. Hubert Beckers had passed away. We keep a reverent memory, and our sincere sympathy goes out to his family.

The institute of transport science developed together with the Cologne/Bonn Airport a feasibility study of an air taxi infrastructure at the airport. The results of the study were presented in a press conference on the 22th of Juli in the Terminal 2 of the Cologne/Bonn Airport. The conference was attended by the CEO of the airport Johan Vanneste as well as the Minister of Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst. The feasibility study was funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.

Unfortunately we had to take note of the sad news that Mr. Peter Wolf passed away on 15.08.2020. For many years, Mr. Wolf was a professor at the Institute of Transport Sciences in the teaching and research field of airport and air traffic. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.

After it was founded at the end of 2019, the "Förderverein des Eisenbahnwesens an der RWTH Aachen e. V." is registered at Amtsgericht Aachen since April 2020. The association pursues exclusively and directly non-profit purposes, e. g. assistance of scientific work and young scientists in the field of railways, in particular control, signalling, and safety systems, as well as the support of technology transfer between research and industry.

After a few months of corona-related closure, the ELVA could now be reopened for professional education using protective measures and subject to appropriate conditions.

The institute of transport science successfully completed the assessment of the BAQ simulation developed by DB Station & Service AG.

The CFL commissioned the Institute of Transport Science to construct schedule concepts on the northern route around Ettelbr6UUML,ck. Various variants and measures are to be shaped following current developments and to create further improvements. In particular, the robustness of the schedule shall be assessed using methods of railway operations research.

At this year's spring meeting of the Association of University Professors of Railway Engineering, Professor Nießen was elected vice speaker. He succeeds Professor Rainer K6OUML,nig, TU Dresden, who resigned for health reasons. Professor Christian Schindler - also RWTH Aachen University - will remain in office as speaker.

Miss Nora Metzner passed her doctoral examination on June 9, 2020. The title of her dissertation is: "Investigation of airport terminal resilience with analytical and simulation based methods". The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

The TV channel 3sat has broadcasted a report with the title "Höchste Eisenbahn!". The thirty-minute report with an interview with Mr. Prof. Nießen and clips from the Railway Signalling Lab is available here (the report is only in German language available).

The VIA was able to successfully complete the contract for the further development of the cause-effect relationship (UWZ) in the track module.

Mr. Max Schulze Schwienhorst passed his doctoral examination on Mai 4, 2020. The title of his dissertation is: "Capacity constraints for departing passenger operations at airports: How to abolish the physical separation of Schengen and Non Schengen passengers". The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

This years Whitsun excursion to Budapest (01.06. - 06.06.2020) of the RWTH Transportation Chairs is cancelled for protection against the corona virus. The planned excursion is postponed to the Whitsun week in 2021. Participants registered for this year will receive preferential treatment next year when registering for the excursion 2021.

From January 23 to 24, 2020, the VIA organized the winter semester excursion for the students of the Lecture "Planning and design of airports II". This year, our destination was Hamburg.

As a precautionary measure to protect against the coronavirus, the Institute of Transportation Sciences is currently no longer open to the public. For the time being, we kindly ask you to make inquiries only by phone +49 241 - 80 25190 or by e-mail via@via.rwth-aachen.de.
We ask for your understanding.

The course "Selected aspects of railways" will not be offered this semester.

On decision of the rectorate, the RWTH canceled all exams and events until 19 of April 2020. The inspections of all exams by the Chair of Railway Engineering and Transport Economics are postponed until further notice. More information is available at the course room of your respective lecture.

The Institute of Transport Science participated in the workshop "Mobile on the Rail" in Aachen Modell II of the "Bürgerstiftung für die Region Aachen". The Aachen Modell II is aimed at pupils from different grades in order to promote them in the so-called STEM-subjects. The two-day workshop consisted of lectures, exercises and the operation in the Signalling Lab.

Mr. Norman Weik passed his doctoral examination on March 3, 2020. The title of his dissertation is: "Long-Term Capacity Planning of Railway Infrastructure - A Stochastic Approach Capturing Infrastructure Unavailability".The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

Due to the current developments on the corona virus, the Schüleruni 2020 at the RWTH was unfortunately cancelled. We regret this very much and are looking forward to 2021!

About 50 participants took part in the joint event of the VDI and VDEI on the subject of railway safety technology at the Institute of Transport Sciences on 7 February. After the technical presentations, a tour of the railway lab was offered.

DB Netz AG commissioned the Institute of Transportation Sciences to implement the evaluated cause-effect relationship for LuFV III between the funding and the infrastructure quality.

DB Station&Service AG commissioned the Institute of Transportation Sciences to investigate the cause-effect relationship for LuFV III between the funding and the infrastructure quality. During the project, the simulation for the evaluation of the system quality is validated.

The 2nd International Railway Symposium from 26-28.11.2019 was a complete success with over 250 participants. The digital conference proceedings and an afterword are available here The magazine "Deine Bahn" published a follow-up report.

The Institute of Transport Science will participate in a workshop "Mobile on the Rail" in Aachen Model II of the "Bürgerstiftung für die Region Aachen".Further information in German can be found
here.

Registration is required, details see homepage:https://www.aachener-modell.de/.

The destination of this year's excursion (01.06. - 06.06.2020) of the RWTH transport chairs will be Budapest. The journey will take place with the night train via Vienna. Program points are a CT Terminal, the autonomous shuttle Seefeld (Vienna), a Freeway Administration and the Airport Budapest. Students interested in joining the excursion can register with Felix Lampe (room 103.3), starting 27.01.2020, 8:00 am.

Peter Laumen took part in the AusRAIL PLUS 2019 in Sydney in December 2019 and gave a presentation on "New ETCS Level 1 Architecture". The AusRAIL is the largest railway conference and exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere with over 7500 participants.

The ARD TV Plusminus from 27.11.19 analysed how many passengers the railway will gain through the climate package. Prof. Nießen gave an interview on this subject. Further information can be found here.

A joint event of the VDI and the VDEI will take place at the RWTH Aachen University on 7th February. In addition to technical presentations on current challenges of the railway system, a visit to ELVA will take place afterwards. Further information (in german) can be found here.

After the successful kick-off event in 2017 the 2nd International Railway Symposium is scheduled from 26.-28. November 2019 in Aachen. We look forward to see you. More information can be found here and the current program here.

The Institute of Transport Science has analysed on the route Bremen-Munich the change in market share based on decreased ticket prices. On November 18th, the results were presented in the report "Was Deutschland bewegt: Operation Bahn". More information can be found here(only in german).

On 21.11.2019 Dr. Jürgen Jacobs will present a lecture on the topic "A model railroad at a scientific university?" at lecture series organised by VDE Kassel. For more information see here.

Mr. Andreas Pfeifer passed his doctoral examination on November 12, 2019. The title of his dissertation is: "Network-wide determination of capacity for a needs-based infrastructure dimensioning and network development in the railway sector".
The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

Also this year, the VIA took part in the RWTH Science Night. Therefore, the Signalling Lab was opened from 7 pm to 11 pm with the motto "railway to touch". During the event, several guided tours were offered to the numerous visitors.

On November 5, the handover of an ICE train sponsored by IVU Traffic Technologies AG and its first run on the ELVA took place. Many thanks to IVU. We would like to continue and expand the existing cooperation in the next years.

On November 08, the RWTH Science Night "5 to 12" will take place. The Railway Signaling Lab (ELVA) will be open between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. Additional, guided tours will also be offered. More information can be found here.

In October, the VIA was commissioned by DB Netz AG to investigate concepts for vehicle-based full automation in railway operations. Among other things, the project analyses different operational scenarios, which might occur in railway operations without a driver.

In October, a CFL delegation visited the RWTH and the railway signalling lab. General Director Marc Wengler and Mr Henri Werdel (Director of Infrastructure Management) led the delegation from Luxembourg. The Institute of Transport Science and the CFL would like to continue and expand the existing cooperation in the next years.

VIA's 3rd youtube-clip in the course of the blended learning program of the faculty of civil engineering is online (or you find it in the media library).

We would like to welcome Idoaldo Lima, a Brazilian Ph.D. student in Safety and Security for New Airport Operation Concepts under the supervision of Prof. Reichmuth. He was awarded a DAAD Scholarship for the four years of his Ph.D. studies. His stay is one of the results from the cooperation between VIA and ITA, the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeroná in Brazil.

In September, the project "Urban and Regional Air Freight" started, which runs for three years and is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim of the project is to explore low-emission air freight of the future with the help of small electric aircraft. In addition to the RWTH, Cologne Bonn Airport, Aachen Merzbrück Airport, e.SAT GmbH and the Fraunhofer IPT are involved in the project.

Since several months the railway signalling lab is used by DB Training in order to instruct participants of further education courses in railway operation.

In winter semester 19/20 the new lecture "Practice Transport Economics" will start. Based on the basic knowledge about transport economics the students get a deeper insight into the practice. Thereby, partners from various fields of transport economics give a lecture (municipalities, transport authorities, transport associations, federal authorities, infrastructure companies, transportation companies and consultants).

On 13 September, Albrecht Morast has given a radio interview to Deutschlandfunk. More information can be found here.

Since the winter semester 2018/2019 the Research Center Railways has been offering the English-language specialization Railway Systems Engineering (RSE) in the Master's program in Transport Engineering and Mobility. All relevant information on the Railway Systems Engineering and the application process are now available on the specially designed homepage of the specialization which can be found here.

In the course of the projects approaches to incorporate infrastructure availability in railway capacity analysis have been investigated. This allows to identify critical infrastructure components as well as to assess the resilience of transport services in case of disruptions.

A delegation from Thailand visited Aachen in July 2019. At the Institute of Transport Science they gained insides to railway operations research as well as railway safety.

In September 2019, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

The aim of this year's company excursion of the Institute of Transport Science was the Rail Service Center Dortmund-Eving operated by Siemens. Among other trains, the fleet of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express (RRX) is maintained in this Service Center. We say thank you to the team of the Rail Service Center for the exciting insights.

During the summer holidays, pupils have the opportunity to get to know the RWTH Aachen in different workshops during the so-called "Schüleruni". In the Schüleruni, the participants can conduct experiments and exercises as well as attend lectures. On July 17th, the VIA also participated in the Schüleruni and opened the Railway Signalling Lab.

Unfortunately, we had to take note of the sad news that Peter Winter died on 08.07.2019. Peter Winter worked for many years as a lecturer at the Institute of Transport Science. RWTH Aachen University awarded him the title honorary professor in 2007.
Our deep condolences go to his family.

In a cooperation between the Institute of Transport Science (VIA) and the Division of Transport Planning at KTH Stockholm probabilistic extensions of the UIC 406 method for capacity analysis have been studied and were presented in a talk on "Extending UIC 406-based capacity analysis - New approaches for railway nodes and network effects" at the International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailNorrköping).

Norman Weik and Wiebke Lenze presented their papers on "Quantifying the effects of variability on the capacity of rail corridors" and "Modelling the Prohibition of Train Crossings in Tunnels with Blocking Time Theory" at the International Conference of Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailNorrköping).

On June 27th and 28th 2019, experts from science, politics and economy joined the DVWG annual transport congress in Cologne. Under the scientific leadership of Prof. Nils Nießen and Prof. Markus Oeser (both RWTH Aachen University) the topic "Critical bottlenecks of transport infrastructure" was discussed.

Thomas Graffagnino, lecturer at the VIA, won together with his SBB colleagues Roland Schäfer, Matthias Tuchschmid and Marco Weibel the best professional paper award at Rail Norrköping for the paper "Energy savings with enhanced static timetable information for train driver".
Congratulations!

On June 17, 2019 an excursion to the Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG took place in the context of the lecture "Operation and Management of Rail Freight Systems". The students got exciting insights into the practice of combined transport and the handling of bulk goods.

The TV channel 3sat has broadcasted a report about the Railway Signalling Lab. The five-minute report is available here (the report is only in German language available).

On June 24, 2019 a guest lecture will take place in the context of the lecture "Operation and Management of Rail Freight Systems" (BS 312, 10:30 am). Mr. Harald Kreft from the Hamburg Port Authority will give a talk on "Port of Hamburg - logistics by rail".

Also, this year the VIA took part at the Bau-WM, the soccer tournament of the Faculty on the Königshügel. After the third place at the last Bau-WM in 2018, our team "Lokomotive VIA" reached the third place again. The performance on the sports field and the support of the colleagues were excellent.

On May 13th 2019, the results of a RWTH research project "Impact of digitalization on railway operations" on behalf of the German Federal Railway Authority (EBA) were presented during a research colloquium in Bonn, Germany. The project report and the management summary prepared by the RWTH Institute of Transport Science and RWTH Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics can be found here (in german).

This semester's topic for the seminar on Railway Engineering and Transport Economics will be "International Railway Industry". The introductory meeting and assignment of the topics will take place on April 29, 2019 at 08:30 a.m. in room BS 218 of the civil engineering building. You can register until April 26, 2019.

The VIA developed on behalf of DB Netz AG algorithms as well as necessary adaptations of the analytical procedures for a network-wide capacity determination within the project "Industrialization of railway operational studies - IEBWU". The project was successfully completed after two and a half years. Currently the results are integrated into the software tool LUKS®.

From February to March 2019, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

The destination of this year's excursion (11.06. - 15.06.2019) of the RWTH transport chairs will be several towns in Belgium and the Netherlands. Program points are the Port of Antwerp and marshalling yard Antwerp North, urban town planning and road construction projects in Antwerp, Delft and Den Haag and a visit of the airport Amsterdam-Schiphol.
Students interested in joining the excursion can register with Fabian Stoll (room 103.3), starting 29.01.2019, 9:00 am.

Lawyers, engineers, scientists and representatives of national and European authorities and companies from the railway sector will discuss current developments at the interface between railway law and technology on April 8 and 9, 2019 in Frankfurt. Organizer of the new event are the Federal Railway Authority, RWTH Aachen University, Passau University and Frankfurt Goethe University. More Informations can be found here.

The Research Center Railways has successfully completed the research project "ANTS II". In the project, various operating concepts for the novel Automated Nano Transport System were developed in cooperation with the Institute for Rail Vehicles.

In this year, the Institute of Transport Science took part in the RWTH Science Night. Therefore, the Signalling Lab was opened from 7 pm to 11 pm with the motto "railway to touch". In the future, on some days the Signalling Lab will be opened for everyone. That information will be published in time on our homepage.

One day after the reopening of the Signalling Lab, the Signalling Lab was opened for the invited guests. They had the possibility to view and handle the modernized model railway system. Because of the gre at interest, two groups were formed.

On November 27, during a festive colloquium, the Signalling Lab was reopened. First, different speeches took place in a lecture hall. Then, the with highly anticipated first train ride happened: An ICE left the station M-Dorf. Because of the limited space of the Signalling Lab, the train ride was transmitted in the lecture hall.

The Signalling Lab, which exists from the early 1960s, will start its operation after an extensive modernisation. In the last years, the model railway system was rebuilt using nowadays standards (H0, digital train control) and an Electronic Interlocking with a modern Ks-Signal were added. The reopening of the Signalling Lab will be celebrated at the end of November with a colloquium exclusively with invited guests.

A report of the Seedfund-Project "Capacity management of railway lines based on queuing theory and high-dimensional Markov-chains" (only in german) in cooperation with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Schmeink (ISEK) is now available at the Exploratory Research Space (ERS) homepage.

From November 13 to 14, 2018, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Braunschweig will host the VDI Expert Forum on "Automation of Rail Operations - Opportunities and Risks ". More information can be found here.

Trade visitors from rail industry and politics visited the booth of the Research Center Railways (RCR) of the RWTH Aachen at this year's Innotrans in Berlin. One of the highlights was the visit of the Bavarian Minister of Transport, Ilse Aigner, on September 19th. The professors Nießen and Schindler explained her the current research projects at the RCR.

At this year's leading trade fair for rail transport "Innotrans", Prof. Nießen gave an impulse on innovations in railway operation at DB Innovation Forum. At this event, a top-class interactive panel discussion took place together with Peter Lang, Dr. Ben Moebius, Philippe Citroën, Carlo Borghini, Prof. Sabina Jeschke, Dr. Josef Doppelbauer, Prof. Nils Nießen and Jürgen Mues.

On 28th September, the VIA undertook its company outing to many different stations of the Hambachbahn. In unfortunately bad weather, the special railway system was explained. The trains serve to transport the lignite.

As chairman of the Technical Division for Railway Technologies at the Association of German Engineers, Prof. Nießen has handed over the VDI Medal of Honor to Dipl.-Ing. Udo Stahlberg (VDV) at the "InnoTrans" in Berlin on 19 September 2018.

This semester's topic for the seminar on Railway Engineering and Transport Economics will be "Digitalization for Railway Operation". The introductory meeting and assignment of the topics will take place on October 29, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. in room 105.2 of the civil engineering building. You can register until October 26, 2018.

Deutsche Bahn AG is hosting for the second time the 2016 launched Innovation Forum on the InnoTrans. Prof. Nießen will give a keynote speech on innovations in railway operations research at the event. For more information click here.

Prof. Dr. Reichmuth will be attending the ICAS congress in Belo Horizonte, Brazil as the session chair for "Airport / TMA Procedures & Environmental Impact". Following the ICAS congress he will be participating a two-day workshop at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) in São José dos Campos, Brazil.

At the Innotrans 2018, taking place in Berlin from 18 to 21 September 2018, the VIA will be represented at the booth stand of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV - Hall 2.2 Booth 302) within the framework of the Research Center Railways (RCR). After prior contact, fixed meeting dates may be arranged. We are looking forward to your visit.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the transfer project. "Integrated Dispatching in railway operation". Application partner of this project is the VIA Consulting & Development GmbH. The project duration is two years.

At this year's Bau-WM, the soccer tournament of the Faculty on the Königshügel, our Institute won under the name "Lokomotive VIA" an excellent third place. After initial difficulties, our team presented a great performance with the support by the other colleagues.

As part of the research project "IndiLuV" there will be an interactive workshop on July 24. Within this workshop we will work on future solutions in the field of urban air transportation. Following the link you can find further information https://www.technik-zum-menschen-bringen.de/projekte/indiluv (available in German only). For registration please contact (johanna.werz@ima.rwth-aachen.de). More Information.

On 03.07.2018, Wiebke Lenze und Stephan Zieger presented their work on "Optimization of Speed Changes and its Effects on Running Time and Capacity" and "The Impact of Buffer Time Distributions on the Nominal Capacity of Railway Lines" at the 16. International Conference on Railway Engineering Design and Operation in Lisbon. More Information.

The railway lab was extended by a new KS-signal. Many thanks to Scheidt & Bachmann from Mönchengladbach for sponsoring this signal. As entrance signal of the new station E-City, the signal is connected to the railway model. The station E-City is controlled by a ZSB 2000, the interlocking type of Scheidt & Bachmann.

After the successful cooperation between Siemens and several institutes of the RWTH Aachen University, the IFS and VIA were commissioned to research the next project in context of the "Automated Nano Transport System" (ANTS). The project, which is titled "ANTS II", investigates different operating programs of the novel trains.

The VIA offers two field trips on 12 July 2018. It is possible to visit either the V-Terminal Köln-Eifeltor or the control center of RTB Cargo. Students interested in joining one of the field trips can register with our office (Room 127, Mon.-Thu, 9 am – 1 pm) until 15 June 2018.

The destination of this year's excursion of the transport chairs was Lisbon (22.05. – 27.05.18). The visitation of the air traffic control center, the traffic control center and the Ponte 25 de Abril were parts of the program. Furthermore, the 20 excursion participants experienced practical insights during their visiting of the tram depot and a road construction site.

On 8 May Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nils Nießen has given an interview to SWR Aktuell. More Information (only in german).

On 26 April the VIA took part in the this year's Girls' Day with the subject "Am I to early or is my train too late". The participants, female pupils aged between 12 and 14 years, had the possibility to learn the arrangement of railway stations and timetables. After the lunch break, the group went to the ELVA.

From April 11 to 13, 2018, the railway safety technical excursion to Karlsruhe took place. The visits at the DB Netz AG and the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH were very interesting and help to deepen the theoretical knowledge from the lectures in practice.

Unfortunately, we had to take note of the sad news that Dr.-Ing. Bernd Rietdorf died on 23.03.2018. In addition to his job as Managing Director at Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH, he worked for many years as a lecturer at the Institute of Transport Science. RWTH Aachen University awarded him the title honorary professor in 1992.
Our deep condolences go to his family.

In cooperation with the Institute of Urban and Transportation Planning and the BRAUNWAGNER design agency, VIA Institute announces a student competition analysing the urban integration of the Siemens concept "Automated Nano Transport System" (ANTS).

This semester's topic for the seminar on Railway Engineering and Transport Economics will be "Digitalization for Railway Operation". The introductory meeting and assignment of the topics will take place on April 19, 2018 at 4:15 p.m. in room 105.2 of the civil engineering building. You can register until April 18, 2018.

In cooperation with the RWTH-Institute for Labor Sciences (IAW), VIA carries out a research project that examines impacts of digitalization for railway operation for the German Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA). The project investigates, inter alia, how digital resources can support activities of train drivers.

The proceedings of the 1. International Railway Symposium Aachen (IRSA 2017) is now online available. For more information.

From April 11 to 13, 2018, the railway safety technical excursion will take place in Karlsruhe. The number of participants for the excursion is limited and intended primarily for the participants in the lecture "Eisenbahnsicherungstechnik". More information (only in german).

On January 29, 2018, a guest lecture took place as part of the lecture "Eisenbahnbetriebswissenschaft". Mr. Peter Reinhart from the DB Project Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH has presented on the subject "Bahnbetrieb und Bahnverkehr im Großprojekt Stuttgart-Ulm".

From February to March 2018, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

In cooperation with the Institute of Urban and Transportation Planning and the BRAUNWAGNER design agency, VIA Institute is involved in a study analysing the urban integration of the Siemens concept "Automated Nano Transport System" (ANTS). The study will examine access points to the ANT-System (Mobility Hubs) and various concepts to use the planned transport units.

On March 14.-15.2018, Andreas Pfeifer, Fabian Stoll and Stephan Zieger will present their work on "Herausforderungen des interoperablen Schienenverkehrs in Europa" and "Der Einfluss von Pufferzeitverteilungen im Fahrplan auf die Modellierung der Folgeverspätungen im Eisenbahnwesen" at the 26. VWT Dresden. More information.

The destination of this year's excursion of the transport chairs will be Lisbon (22.05 - 27.05.2018). Program points are the world-famous cable car, the Ponte 25 de Abril, the airport and the central station. Students interested in joining the excursion can register with Andreas Pfeifer (Room 104) starting 22.01.2018. More information.

Dr. rer. nat. Jügen Jacobs celebrated his 25th anniversary of service. The whole institute congratulates the jubilarian and wishes him all the best for the future.

On November 28-30, 2017 the 1st Int. Railway Symposium Aachen was held. More than 200 participants from over 15 countries attended the Symposium. We are looking forward to see you in Aachen again for IRSA 2019.

A delegation of the world's largest rail vehicle manufacturer CRRC from China visited RWTH Aachen University in October. To establish a close cooperation in research and teaching a letter of intent was signed between CRRC and the Research Center Railways.

On November 28-30, 2017 the 1st Int. Railway Symposium Aachen will be held in Aachen.
We look forward to seeing you in Aachen.
You will find further information here.

On October 06, 2017 a delegation of VIA visited the Dortmunder Eisenbahn (DE), a company of Captrain Deutschland GmbH. The Container Terminal Dortmund (CTD) opened in 2016, rail track infrastructure in Dortmund port, shunting services and the railway repair centre have been visited. Dortmunder Eisenbahn and VIA plans to cooperate in the future.

This semester's topic for the seminar on Railway Engineering and Transport Economics will be "Railway infrastructure – Planning, maintenance and operation". The introductory meeting and assignment of the topics will take place on November 3, 2017 at 4:15 p.m. in room BS 312 of the civil engineering building. You can register until October 25, 2017.

Prof. Nießen gives a talk about suitable criteria to improve operational quality with respect to punctuality on September 28th on the symposium:"Aktuelle Probleme des Eisenbahnrechts XXIII"; Regensburg. More information.

Prof. Nießen will give a presentation about conflict recognition and conflict resolution in operations centres on the 17th international Signal + Draht Congress at Fulda (09.-10. November 2017) More information.

The DFG has approved the Research Training Group "UNRAVEL – Uncertainty and Randomness in Algorithms, Verification, and Logic". Aim is the probabilistic modelling and analysis of uncertainty by developing new algorithms and verification techniques. The VIA covers the application areas safety, planning and capacity analysis.More information.

The Institute of Transport Science (VIA), the Institute for Rail Vehicles and Transport Systems (IFS) and the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA) have founded the Research Center Railways (RCR). The new center will strengthen the rail activities at RWTH Aachen University.

On June 30, 2017, Fabian Stoll and Bastian Kogel presented their work on "Suitability of deterministic transportation mode choice models for the urban traffic management" at the Conference "Verkehrsökonomik und –politik" in Berlin.

This year's Pentecost study trip, organized by the transport institutes of RWTH, took place from June 6th till June 10th and was a great success for all participants. In Vienna, among other things, the traffic control center of "Wiener Linien" and the airport of Vienna were visited. A day trip to Bratislava completed the programm.

Here you will find the current vacancies on our home page.

The new YouTube-Video about the introduction into the tool "Leistungsuntersuchungen Knoten und Strecken (LUKS)" for timetabling, railway capacity analysis and simulation is online.

Prof. Nießen puts on some music at around 23:00 on Friday June 30 at the Apollo. The event 14. Nacht der Professoren is organized by Studieren ohne Grenzen.

On behalf of DB Netz AG, a preliminary study was conducted to determine the cause-effect relationship between the use of financial resources and LuFV-relevant quality parameters. The next step is to deepen the gained knowledge within the scope of a main study and to depict it by means of a prototypical computational tool.

From March to May 2017, the institute for transport science conducts further training courses on "Planning", "Operation" and "Railway safety and signalling technology" for CFL employees.

Norman Weik won with his paper "A quasi-birth-and-death process approach for integrated capacity and reliability modeling of railway systems" the second price of the young researcher award at the International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailLille2017). Congratulations!

Youtube channel of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at RWTH Aachen University is online. This channel offers a variety of videos showing many facets of basic and current research in the area of Civil Engineering.
The Institute of Transport Science already published a video, more videos will follow.

The Seedfund-Project "Capacity management of railway lines based on queuing theory and high-dimensional Markov-chains" in cooperation with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Schmeink (ISEK) was completed succesfully.

On April 6, 2017, Norman Weik and Stephan Zieger will present their work on "A quasi-birth-and-death process approach for integrated capacity and reliability modeling of railway systems" and "Markov models for the performance analysis of railway networks" at the International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailLille2017).

The FP7 project TITAN, which includes landside information to deliver better aircraft turnarounds, is summarized in the following video. The Department of Air Transport was engaged in the development of the new ConOps and the verification of the TITAN Tool. Details.

A new MSc programme (Master of Science) "Mobility and Transport" has been started by RWTH Aachen University in the winter term 2011/12. The new study programme covers the interface between infrastructure and verhicles and consists of lectures of the faculties of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and economics. Details (in German).