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.

In a current project, we are assessing the dispatching rules set out in Guideline 420 of DB InfraGO AG. To this end, the effects of the dispatching rules are being simulated across a wide range of scenarios and the results are being quantitatively analyzed.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration on this exciting topic.

As part of our Institute Internship: Railway Engineering we visited the Rurtalbahn in Düren on July 02, 2026. The trip to the construction site in Zülpich was likely the last of its kind, as the infrastructure work is set to be completed later this year.
Many thanks to the Rurtalbahn employees who made this visit possible.

Unfortunately, we had to take note of the sad news that Mr. Wulf Schwanhäußer died on 06.05.2026. For many years, Mr. Schwanhäußer served as director of the Institute of Transport Science and head of the Chair of Transportation Economics, Railway Engineering and Operations. We honor his memory with gratitude. Our deep condolences go to his family.

The paper "Approximation of service systems for determining the performance of railway infrastructure in stations" by Tamme Emunds and Nils Nießen has received the Best Paper Award from the program committee of the International Railway Symposium Aachen (IRSA) 2025.

The paper presents a method for performance analysis of railway stations in which arrival and departure processes are modeled together with the dwell processes within a single combined queueing system. The proposed approximation enables, for the first time, to derive timetable-independent performance indicators for large railway stations.

Three additional papers were also honored with the Best Paper Award. Short versions of the awarded contributions are published in the May 2026 issue of Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau.

This summer term, Dr. Andreas Kaldenbach will again give his lecture "Ausgewählte Aspekte des Schienenbahnwesens". This course will be held in the German language. This year, the focus will be on the design of train route management in Germany. Further information can be found in the linked document (in german).

Marking the project's completion, a final meeting of all project partners took place in Berlin on February the 24th, 2026. As part of the project, commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (Förderlinie "Anwender - Innovativ: Forschung für die zivile Sicherheit II"), the feasibility of additional security measures at stations in the German mainline rail network was assessed. The main focus was on access control systems and platform barriers, as commonly used in metro systems worldwide. Further information on the BMFTR's security research program can be found here.

After breakfast together and some cool drinks, we headed to the party at C.A.R.L..

We wish you all a happy and foolish carnival season!