Over 2,900 exhibitors from 59 nations. Forty-two halls with a total floor area of 120,000 square metres and a kilometre long site that has three-and-a-half kilometres of track displaying over a hundred rail vehicles. That’s InnoTrans 2024.
Over three days, your writer walked 24,000 steps per day and probably only saw half of it. Getting the best from InnoTrans certainly requires comfortable shoes.
This year, InnoTrans attracted 170,000 visitors from 133 countries and showcased 226 new products. It also offered a full programme of lectures and panel discussions. New this year was an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mobility Lab which covered robotics, data protection, and cybersecurity. Another new event was a railway influencer Festival for influencers, bloggers and YouTubers.
Opening ceremony
Speaking at the opening ceremony, German Federal Minister for Digital & Transport Dr Volker Wissing advised that €18.1 billion was to be invested in the German rail network in 2025 as part of a programme to improve and enhance 1,500 route-km over the next three years. As part of this, the 70km line between Frankfurt and Mannheim has been closed for five months for upgrades including ETCS fitment.
Wissing considered the rapid rollout of ETCS to be a priority, in part because changing signalling systems when crossing borders was not acceptable. He also wished to see digital automatic couplers introduced to transform rail freight operations and encourage modal shift from road to rail. However, he accepted that this would require EU support.
The opening ceremony included a panel discussion entitled ’From Hype to Reality – AI in the Mobility Sector’ which included Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, Alstom’s CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge and the CEO of CAF, Javier Ojinaga. It was agreed that there is a need to cut through the hype as AI is not needed for everything. It was felt AI offered significant benefits for maintenance, failure prediction, energy efficiency, traffic management, and software development and there was agreement on the need for open data.
A study commissioned by the European rail industry association UNIFE shows that the total world rail market is €202 billion which includes €77 billion on services, €38 billion for infrastructure, €22 billion on rail control systems, and €63 billion for rolling stock. Over the next five years it is predicted to grow by 3.0% annually. The detailed study is available for €2,850 excluding VAT.
UK stands
There were over 100 UK companies at InnoTrans. Of these, 20 were in two UK pavilions organised by the Railway Industry Association (RIA). Prior to InnoTrans, RIA had organised briefings for companies new to the event. Together with the Department for Business and Trade, RIA had also arranged ‘Meet the Trade Advisor’ sessions in which over 150 companies met one of 24 trade advisers who had been flown to Berlin from British Embassies around the world including Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Argentina, the USA, Egypt, and Canada. RIA’s reception at the British Embassy in Berlin also provided a good networking opportunity.
Industry Wales had its own group of stands which included the Global Centre for Rail Excellence (GCRE) which signed various agreements for companies to use its facilities at InnoTrans.
Many UK companies had their own stands. These included consultants AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald; compressor manufacturers Mattei; Senceive, whose landslide monitoring tiltmeters are maintenance free for 15 years; and Southco, with hundreds of access hardware products on display including novel latching systems.
UNIPART’s stand featured many of its companies including Gripple which launched its OLE rail dropper at the InnoTrans 2022. Other UNIPART companies are mentioned below.
AI
The AI mobility lab provided an area for suppliers offering AI-based solutions. Two British companies there were Transmission Dynamics which demonstrated its ‘Trains with Brains’ innovations, and Instrumentel, which is part of the Unipart group and displayed its ThermOptic Insight system which detects rolling stock faults using cameras and lineside thermal radiometry.
Two other UK companies were demonstrating how they apply AI to forward facing video streams to monitor lineside assets. These were Crosstech with its Hubble platform and One Big Circle with its AIVR product suite.
Various stands were demonstrating systems to monitor passenger movement. The passenger counting system developed by Canadian company Infodev uses AI to interpret data from sensors and cameras to achieve 99.8% accuracy. This system can be used for various purposes and can detect whether passengers are carrying hot drinks.
Passenger rolling stock
Of rolling stock on display there were: 49 widely varied items of on track plant; 23 types of wagons; six trams; two metro trains; 17 passenger units or coaches; and 13 locomotives, including three shunters. Although there was less promotion of hydrogen than at the previous InnoTrans, there was a hydrogen-powered passenger train, tram, and shunting locomotive together with various battery powered vehicles on display.
High-speed trains on display included Hitachi’s latest 400km/h ETR1000 Frecciarossa and a ‘sandproofed’ 230km/h Siemens Velaro for Egypt’s planned 2,000 km high-speed network. The 200km/h hydrogen-powered Chinese CRRC CINOVA train has a range of 1,200km. Battery-powered trains on display included Stadler’s RS Zero, which can also be powered by hydrogen, the Siemens Mireo, and the Croatian Koncar’s battery EMU which has a plug-in fast charger.
Talgo was displaying its 230 km/hr BR105 which will power push-pull trains consisting of 17 low-floor coaches which are due to enter service on Deutsche Bahn in December. One of these coaches, with its single axle articulation, was on display at Talgo’s stand.
Freight
The locomotives on display are generally used for freight services. These were almost all electrically powered, though many were bi-modes with diesel engines. The Alstom built TRAXX locomotives are quadruple-voltage machines (1.5/3.0kV DC and 15/25kV AC) to operate under almost all European electrification schemes.
Siemens had two of its 160km/hr bi-mode Vectron locomotives on display. One of these was a Vectron light locomotive with a 21-tonne axle load. This has a 750kW diesel engine for last mile and shunting operations. In contrast, the standard Vectron has a 2,400kW engine and 22.5-tonne axle load.
Vossloh displayed its Modula heavy duty shunting locomotives that can operate on the main line. These modular locomotives have various combinations of traction packages: electric (15kV/25kV), diesel or battery traction. A hydrogen-powered Modula was also on display.
Bulgarian Express Service unveiled its 48-tonne, three-axle ES3000 shunting locomotive which has a battery capacity of 220kWh giving it a nominal power of 90kW enabling it to tow 3,000 tonnes.
Of particular interest to UK visitors was the unveiling of the bi-mode Class 99 built by Stadler for GB Railfreight. This was funded by Beacon which signed a contract for 30 of these locomotives in April 2022. These 120 km/h locomotives have a power of 6MW on electrified lines and 1,800kW from their diesel engine. At their unveiling, GB Railfreight CEO John Smith noted that: “the Class 99s represent a game-changing moment for the UK rail freight industry as they offer customers wholly sustainable, heavy haul services across the country.”
A typical freight haul using the West Coast Main Line involves around 30 miles of non-electrified routes. The Class 99 will be able to haul trains over these lines and then make the best use of the electrified network. John advises that a typical diesel hauled freight train climbs the WCML’s northern fells at around 55km/h whereas the Class 99 is expected do this climb at 100km/h. Hence, as well as decarbonising the UK freight sector, the Class 99 offers significant business benefits.
The most expensive freight project presented at InnoTrans is the proposed fitment of digital automatic couplers (DAC) to Europe’s almost half million freight wagons. DAC’s productivity and operational benefits support the EU’s goal of increasing rail’s share of freight transport from 18% to 30% by 2030. To date the coupler design has been finalised and it is planned to run several ‘pioneer’ digitally-coupled freight trains in 2026.
However, fitting DACs to Europe’s wagon fleet is an expensive project which requires yet-to-be allocated EU funding. At an InnoTrans DAC presentation some were not convinced that its cost is justified especially as DAC is not required to deliver many of its benefits. Although Knorr-Bremse has a significant involvement in the DAC initiative, its stand also featured a system with wagons having axle generators and secure wireless communication in the trainset to offer, for example, elecropneumatic braking and locked wheel detection.
The Slovakian company Tatravagonka had various innovative wagons on display. Its Grainbox wagon had a removable body to enable grain from Ukraine to be easily transferred onto container flats at the change of gauge between Ukrainian 1,520mm gauge and European standard gauge. The company’s stand featured its TVP HG2 140km/hr freight bogie and a video of their cathodic dip bogie treatment process.
Signalling
Signalling products on display included Siemen’s Signaling X, Frauscher’s latest axle counters, Stadler’s NOVA, and EUROINTERLOCKING products as well as various presentations.
The UNIFE stand hosted a presentation on efficient migration strategies for ERTMS. This considered the challenges of countries having different long life-cycle infrastructure with their own historic operational concepts, complex authorisation processes, and the need to transition for Single European Railway Area (SERA) to non-SERA areas. The presentation noted that 50,000 trains need to be ETCS equipped with most requiring type approval, and that freight trains run through different countries with different versions of ETCS software that are not fully compatible. It highlighted the need for migration strategies and legacy protocols for ERTMS implementation which will take up to 2036 and beyond.
The Stadler stand showcased both its signalling and rolling stock products. Stadler’s NOVA Pro offers driverless communication-based train control (CBTC) and will soon be used on the Waldenburg railway near Basel. When used at depots, NOVA offers fully automatic driverless shunting operations. For light rail vehicles and trams, Smartsense system provides high-quality object recognition to provide advanced driver assistance system. The company also exhibited its newly developed EUROLOCKING modular electronic interlocking system which is a scalable system to replace hardware-based interlocking systems with a digital platform using IT architectures with EULYNX standards.
The Frauscher stand had information about the RSR360 axle counter that it is developing. This detects axles by analysing the indicative waveform pattern as wheels pass over the sensor. This will give it a significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio than conventional axle counters with a higher immunity to electromagnetic interference. It will be particularly suited where trains have magnetic track brakes. The RSR360 also has reduced weight and an improved rail claw design for easier fitment.
Frauscher also launched its new point control system at InnoTrans. This is a wayside object controller to control point machines as commanded by the interlocking with a standard EULYNX interface. It also monitors factors such as motor current, voltage, and power to monitor the health of each point machine.
The Siemens stand saw the launch of the company’s new cloud-based Signaling X platform which integrates multiple signalling systems to provide seamless management from a single signalling data centre. This uses standard application programming interfaces which provides for the optimisation of rail operations and more integration with other systems such as train planning. This offers significant operational improvements and a more flexible system due to its virtualisation and georedundancy. This platform uses Siemens Mobility’s Distributed Smart Safety System (DS3) which ensures that safety-critical applications are run in a secure cloud-based environment.
A signalling innovation for little-used lines was on display at the UNIPART stand. This was the ‘Request to Stop’ system developed by Comms Design which is part of the UNIPART group. This can operate on GSM-R or a Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB) radio network. The RETB variant uses a cab display radio, while the GSM-R variant uses a mobile handset to display stop notifications to the driver or guard. The system provides a Customer Information Screen (CIS) displaying a live timetable and confirmation that a stop has been requested. For each unnecessary stop it saves 70 seconds and six litres of fuel. This system is in use on Scotland’s Far North lines.
Another member of the UNIPART group, Dorman had its LED colour light signals on display.
Track
A large variety of new on-track machines were on display. Plasser and Theurer were displaying their CompactFlex 4×4 tamper which has a modular construction to reduce customer costs and its road rail InfraSpector for infrastructure inspection and surveying. There was also the opportunity to try its 3D training simulation tools that use VR glasses. It was also interesting to see inside the ROBEL ROMIS mobile track maintenance workshops which are used by Network Rail.
Loram unveiled its new compact RGX-02 rail grinder which was built at the company’s base in Derby. It is claimed to be the first ever UK-built rail-grinder. It offers different consist configurations ranging from 20 to 40 stones.
Information about the McCulloch Group’s rail handling plant was available on its stand. The company was originally based in the remote Scottish coastal village of Ballantrae and now exports its plant to Mexico, Ireland, and New Zealand. On the UNIPART stand it was impossible to miss the Sleeper Change developed by Thomson Engineering Design which incorporates a digging blade to clear ballast between sleepers.
Composite sleepers were also on display. Sicut sleepers repurpose millions of plastic bottles as they are manufactured from a blend of recycled plastics reinforced with glass fibre. Sekisui was displaying its FFU synthetic wood sleepers which were used to form a lattice track support for the Newark flat rail crossing.
Pandrol launched its i+weld system at InnoTrans. This consists of seven devices to align rails, seal the mould, preheat the rail, weld rails, control cooling, detect defects, and capture weld data.
What caught my eye
With the huge variety of product at InnoTrans, there was much of unusual interest to see, some impressively large stands, and the opportunity to see a close up view of components that are normally out of sight.
The large 6.3 tonnes MTU series 1800 generator powerpack which provides diesel power for the Hitachi Class 800 series bi-mode units was one such item. Next to this stand, BEH2YDRO had its 100% hydrogen power internal combustion engines of up to 2,670kW.
Siemens probably deserves the award for the stand offering the most information as its large multi-level stand had information about 59 specific aspects of its business.
Almost certainly, the cheapest item of rolling stock on display was the Railscooter company’s model 25 battery powered scooter which is used for inspection in remote, little-used railways in Sweden and Norway. It has a range of 55km and costs only €3,400.
For locations where there is a risk of animals crossing the railway, the Polich NEEL company has developed its UOZ animal protection system which transmits the sounds of various predators. These are 110cm high and are installed every 70 metres. Over 1,000 have been installed in Poland.
It was difficult to miss the three-metre wingspan of the Songbird inspection drone which has a typical flight time of 90 minutes and has flight planning software that offers beyond visual line of sight capability.
A novel form of rolling stock inspection on display in the AI lab was a robotic trolley which can run under trains where there are no pits manufactured by the Next Generation Robotics company.
One of the various control systems on display on the HIMA stand was a simulation of the Docklands traction power control and tunnel ventilation system which the company commissioned in 2021 and reported on in Rail Engineer 189 (Mar-Apr 2021).
It was interesting to learn about the Climatic Wind Tunnel in Vienna which can accommodate trains up to 100 metres long and subject them to winds of up to 300km/h at temperatures between -45°C to 60°C and humidities between 10% and 98%.
Sad to see was the map of the trans-European transport routes on the European Commission’s stand which showed the UK with no routes at all. Although Russia and Belarus were understandably absent from InnoTrans, two countries with 1520mm Russian gauge lines were present.
Kazakhstan’s stand was promoting its rail industries which included wheelset production by Prommashkomplekt and RWS, rail manufacturing by ARBZ and production of heavy duty switches and crossings by Prommash. Those manning the stand were in impressive national dress.
Ukraine was the other 1520mm gauge country present. It had 20 companies represented with 11 exhibiting at the National Pavilion of Ukraine, at which Ukrainian Railways or Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) also had an exhibition. The goods being produced for export at a time of war included freight wagon and track components as well as those for passenger cars and electric trains.
The stand was also promoting rail freight to Europe and featured a display of station signs damaged during attacks. It also showed the grim war statistics of 707 UZ workers killed and 1,982 injured by Russian attacks. Since the beginning of the war, UZ has renovated almost 1,400km of railways, and rebuilt 48 bridges and more than 40 substations.
With some justification, InnoTrans is claimed to be the world’s largest rail marketplace. The above is a brief description of what the 2024 show offered. For anyone wishing to see the scale of the rail industry outside the UK, this is a must-see event.
The next InnoTrans is scheduled for 22-25 September 2026.