The German Aerospace Center set up a major research project entitled the "Next Generation Train" (NGT) to investigate innovative technical solutions for future products of the railway industry [1]. Added value is generated by the NGT project especially because of a holistic view on all issues and the synergy with related research in the field of cars and aerospace. The activities started in 2007 and are planned until 2013 and in parts until 2015. The project volume is growing with time.

The project is focussed on a high-speed double-decker multiple-unit motor car train, running at an operational speed of 400 km/h, thereby consuming half the energy than an existing high-speed train running at 300 km/h [2]. The train composition consists of single cars with four mechatronic single wheel single running gears each designed to avoid wear and noise in bends. This provides the opportunity to have through floors on two levels without stairs but with an elevator in the restaurant car. A half train is 202 m long and consists of two 21m cab cars and eight 20m trailers. The 800 passengers will embark on each level at opposite ends of a trailer and disembark through the diagonal opposite door.

The train is aerodynamically seamless. It has no pantograph, nothing mounted outside, and is fully covered. The power supply for the 18 MW distributed wheel near the permanent motors is intended to be an inductive means in the track.

The braking concept is to coast, as much as reasonable, rather than use generators and to feed current back. In addition at high-speed aerodynamically and at lower speeds eddy currents or magnetic brakes are used. The service braking distance is about 10 km. The emergency braking distance is about 6.5 km.

The car body is built from modules which are the safe passenger module, two running gear modules, and two entrance modules (which are half crash modules). All modules are symmetric to the vertical axis. Thus, the trailer is also symmetric to the vertical. This gives a high number of identical parts and hence provides an efficient production process. A full train is built by two half trains which are optically coupled. Thus it is possible to couple and de-coupled the train into directional trains on-the-fly.

1

"Researching the train of the future", 2011. URL

2

J. Winter, (Editor), "NGT - Next Generation Train", RTR Special, DVV Media Group / Eurailpress, 2011.

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