In the latest issue of the Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management, Tobias Müller, Tamme Emunds, Andreas Pfeifer, and Nils Nießen describe the technique of implementing block section compression on railway lines in order to increase capacity. Using systematic waiting time calculations, they quantify the impact of block section compression on the nominal capacity of railway lines equipped with ETCS Level 2 and derive equipment standards for lines of multiple load classes. They show that a denser arrangement of block markers before and after stations can not only increase capacity, but also reduce the total required number of block sections.

The full article can be read here.

On 9 October 2026, we are pleased to welcome Prof. Pieter Vansteenwegen from the KU Leuven Institute for Mobility for a guest lecture at our institute. The lecture is open to everyone interested.
Time: 9 October 2026, 11:30-13:00
Location: Room 106, Seffenter Weg 6
Abstract: Railway stations are major bottlenecks in rail networks, where small delays can quickly cause conflicts and secondary delays. This talk introduces the key elements of station planning, including infrastructure, train routing, timetabling, occupation intervals, and buffer times. It focuses on passenger-robust planning, which aims to reduce passenger travel time in practice under recurring delays. Different approaches to combining routing and timetabling are discussed, along with methods to improve robustness by spreading trains in time and preventing delay propagation. A case study of the Brussels railway network illustrates the practical relevance of these planning methods.

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 22 to 25. 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.

A new course for Master's students, "Current Research Topics in Railway Engineering", will start in the winter semester. The course focuses on current research questions and academic skills, including literature research, scientific writing and presenting results in a mini-conference. Further information can be found in the linked document.

From September 22 to 25, 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.

Mr. Christopher Wink passed his doctoral examination on August 10th, 2026. The title of his dissertation is: "Projektierung von ETCS Level 1 Full Supervision am Beispiel Deutschland".
The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

Mrs. Eva Wille passed her doctoral examination on August 07th, 2026. The title of her dissertation is: "Simulation-based analysis of vertiport airside operations and capacity".
The Institute of Transport Science congratulates quite cordially!

On behalf of DB InfraGO AG, VIA is investigating the clearance gaps between platforms and rail vehicles. The official project kickoff took place in July 2026.

As part of the project, measurements are being taken at PRM (persons with reduced mobility) boarding areas of various rail vehicles. The goal is to systematically record actual gap dimensions as well as the infrastructural and operational factors that influence them.

The findings will serve as the basis for future consideration of system-related tolerances when establishing accessibility thresholds in the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). In addition, the actual conditions for wheelchair use in rail transport will be analyzed.