Call #2.2 Modalsplit Challenge: Innovation in regional transport to increase the modal split

AI Quick Summary

SummarySwitzerland has the political goal of shifting passenger and freight transport to sustainable modes of transportation. The shift in traffic volume from road to rail is documented over time with the modal split. The modal split represents the market share of various modes of transport and can be expressed by the distance of the journey or the number of trips. Despite a steadily improved public transport offering and infrastructure expansion, no significant increase in the modal split has been observed over the past 20 years. The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) aims to significantly increase the modal split by 2050 and, according to RAIL 2050, identifies the greatest potential for increasing the modal split in short- and medium-distance travel, i.e., regional transport. To achieve this goal, the offering in regional transport must improve. The five most important factors in choosing a mode of transport are the quality of the overall offering, travel time, price, last-mile options, and the complexity of the travel chain (source: Perspectives on Increasing the Modal Split of Public Transport, 2021). In this context, it is evident that innovations in regional transport are key to improving the offering and supporting the increase in the modal split.Challenge Partner: Swissrail, RAILplus, RhBStarting PointThe Rhaetian Railway (RhB) operates routes in regional passenger transport that offer significant potential for increasing the modal split. Through the introduction of new technologies such as autonomous trains, RhB aims to expand and optimize its services. This endeavor poses technical as well as societal challenges. RhB has formulated 10 questions that must be considered for the successful introduction of new technologies. Using three specific application examples (S-Bahn Davos extension, Touristic experience Samaden – Preda, Automated Parking Facility Landquart), it is shown where there is a need for innovation.10 Questions Technical Reliability: How can we ensure that the systems operate reliably and that no unexpected errors occur?Safety Systems: What safety systems are necessary to detect and avoid potential hazards, such as obstacles on the tracks or protection against environmental influences/weather conditions (rockfall, avalanches, etc.)?Communication with Other Trains and Infrastructure: How can autonomous trains effectively communicate with each other to avoid collisions and coordinate train traffic?Integration into Existing Infrastructure: How can autonomous trains be seamlessly integrated into the existing system landscape of the RhB (Rhaetian Railway) without disrupting operations or incurring additional costs?Emergency Scenarios: How should autonomous trains respond to emergencies, such as technical failures, medical emergencies on board, or unexpected events on the tracks?Liability and Legal Framework: Who is responsible if an autonomous train is involved in an accident? How should legal frameworks be designed to support the development and deployment of autonomous trains?Data Protection and Cybersecurity: How can passenger privacy (in on-demand services) and system security against cyberattacks be protected?Training and Job Loss: What impact will the introduction of autonomous trains have on the personnel currently needed for train operations and maintenance? How can retraining and support programs be designed for affected workers?Implementation Time: How quickly can a described use case be realized, considering technological progress, regulatory frameworks, public acceptance, and the availability of financial resources?Business Case: What does a business case look like from an overall economic perspective for the use cases (from the operator's and regional/touristic perspective), including lifecycle considerations?Working Hypothesis Since infrastructure expansion in recent years has not led to an increase in the modal split, additional measures are needed alongside the expansion steps already approved by parliament. Therefore, improving the service must continue through innovation in operations. New technologies such as autonomous trains represent an effective lever for increasing the capacity of existing infrastructure. This paradigm shift poses challenges that must be addressed with innovative solutions. Only when quality and safety standards are assured can current public scepticism be addressed and the offering of regional passenger transport optimized. The goal of the challenge is to identify groundbreaking innovations from Switzerland that demonstrate scalable solutions for improving regional passenger transport, using the example of the Rhaetian Railway. About the Innovation Booster New Mobility LabThe New Mobility Lab aims to solve mobility problems by promoting radical innovations from the Swiss market. With a strong network of research partners, including HSLU, ETH, HSG and other institutes, and the support of over 50 industry partners, the Lab strives to make mobility CO2-neutral and break through existing silos. The aim is to develop systemic solutions that offer added value to society. The Innovation Booster supports these ideas with agile and user centric tools methodically, and financially to turn these radical ideas into marketable products. Who can apply?You are a…Start-up, SME, or large company, a non-for profit, research team, student, city, canton or basically anybody with…expertise in the field of mobility and the willingness of participating in challenge workshops regarding radical innovationsan interest to develop an idea for a new product, service, process or business model willingness for co-creation, diversity, and gender equalityintention of testing your solution in Switzerland and beyond after the booster program…then go on and apply to participate in our workshops!Event - jointcreate.comYour BenefitsTo enable and accelerate innovation, we bring experts and partners from the industry and academia together to solve challenges and develop ideas for new products, services and processes in an open innovation setup. Thanks to the approved application within the Innovation Booster program of Innosuisse, we can support you financially with CHF 25'000 per radically innovative idea, if you convince our jury!Start now and shape the future of mobility with radical innovations! Questions?Contact us via maximilian.richter@building-excellence.chYou can find everything about the process of the call and the conditions of participation.https://newmobilitylab.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Challenge_Process-Modalsplit_Swissrail.pdf

Challenge Metadata

Challenge Name: Call #2.2 Modalsplit Challenge: Innovation in regional transport to increase the modal split
Date: 7/3/2024 3:13:35 PM
Administrators:
- R2D2 6343 |
- Maximilian Richter |
- Bettina Zipper |
- Deniz Püseli

Challenge Description

Summary

Switzerland has the political goal of shifting passenger and freight transport to sustainable modes of transportation. The shift in traffic volume from road to rail is documented over time with the modal split. The modal split represents the market share of various modes of transport and can be expressed by the distance of the journey or the number of trips. Despite a steadily improved public transport offering and infrastructure expansion, no significant increase in the modal split has been observed over the past 20 years. The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) aims to significantly increase the modal split by 2050 and, according to RAIL 2050, identifies the greatest potential for increasing the modal split in short- and medium-distance travel, i.e., regional transport. To achieve this goal, the offering in regional transport must improve. The five most important factors in choosing a mode of transport are the quality of the overall offering, travel time, price, last-mile options, and the complexity of the travel chain (source: Perspectives on Increasing the Modal Split of Public Transport, 2021). In this context, it is evident that innovations in regional transport are key to improving the offering and supporting the increase in the modal split.

Challenge Partner: Swissrail, RAILplus, RhB

Starting Point

The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) operates routes in regional passenger transport that offer significant potential for increasing the modal split. Through the introduction of new technologies such as autonomous trains, RhB aims to expand and optimize its services. This endeavor poses technical as well as societal challenges. RhB has formulated 10 questions that must be considered for the successful introduction of new technologies. Using three specific application examples (S-Bahn Davos extension, Touristic experience Samaden – Preda, Automated Parking Facility Landquart), it is shown where there is a need for innovation.

10 Questions

Technical Reliability: How can we ensure that the systems operate reliably and that no unexpected errors occur?
Safety Systems: What safety systems are necessary to detect and avoid potential hazards, such as obstacles on the tracks or protection against environmental influences/weather conditions (rockfall, avalanches, etc.)?
Communication with Other Trains and Infrastructure: How can autonomous trains effectively communicate with each other to avoid collisions and coordinate train traffic?
Integration into Existing Infrastructure: How can autonomous trains be seamlessly integrated into the existing system landscape of the RhB (Rhaetian Railway) without disrupting operations or incurring additional costs?
Emergency Scenarios: How should autonomous trains respond to emergencies, such as technical failures, medical emergencies on board, or unexpected events on the tracks?
Liability and Legal Framework: Who is responsible if an autonomous train is involved in an accident? How should legal frameworks be designed to support the development and deployment of autonomous trains?
Data Protection and Cybersecurity: How can passenger privacy (in on-demand services) and system security against cyberattacks be protected?
Training and Job Loss: What impact will the introduction of autonomous trains have on the personnel currently needed for train operations and maintenance? How can retraining and support programs be designed for affected workers?
Implementation Time: How quickly can a described use case be realized, considering technological progress, regulatory frameworks, public acceptance, and the availability of financial resources?
Business Case: What does a business case look like from an overall economic perspective for the use cases (from the operator's and regional/touristic perspective), including lifecycle considerations?

Working Hypothesis

Since infrastructure expansion in recent years has not led to an increase in the modal split, additional measures are needed alongside the expansion steps already approved by parliament. Therefore, improving the service must continue through innovation in operations. New technologies such as autonomous trains represent an effective lever for increasing the capacity of existing infrastructure. This paradigm shift poses challenges that must be addressed with innovative solutions. Only when quality and safety standards are assured can current public scepticism be addressed and the offering of regional passenger transport optimized. The goal of the challenge is to identify groundbreaking innovations from Switzerland that demonstrate scalable solutions for improving regional passenger transport, using the example of the Rhaetian Railway.

About the Innovation Booster New Mobility Lab

The New Mobility Lab aims to solve mobility problems by promoting radical innovations from the Swiss market. With a strong network of research partners, including HSLU, ETH, HSG and other institutes, and the support of over 50 industry partners, the Lab strives to make mobility CO2-neutral and break through existing silos. The aim is to develop systemic solutions that offer added value to society. The Innovation Booster supports these ideas with agile and user centric tools methodically, and financially to turn these radical ideas into marketable products.

Who can apply?

You are a…

Start-up, SME, or large company, a non-for profit, research team, student, city, canton or basically anybody with…

expertise in the field of mobility and the willingness of participating in challenge workshops regarding radical innovations
an interest to develop an idea for a new product, service, process or business model
willingness for co-creation, diversity, and gender equality
intention of testing your solution in Switzerland and beyond after the booster program…

then go on and apply to participate in our workshops!

Event - jointcreate.com

Your Benefits

To enable and accelerate innovation, we bring experts and partners from the industry and academia together to solve challenges and develop ideas for new products, services and processes in an open innovation setup. Thanks to the approved application within the Innovation Booster program of Innosuisse, we can support you financially with CHF 25'000 per radically innovative idea, if you convince our jury!

Start now and shape the future of mobility with radical innovations!

Questions?

You can find everything about the process of the call and the conditions of participation.

https://newmobilitylab.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Challenge_Process-Modalsplit_Swissrail.pdf