The new age of mobility will be flexible, connected and intermodal. A train, e-bike or perhaps door-to-door service? In the future, travellers will use individual or combined forms of transport and manage them all with an app. In the podcast Michael Frankenberg, CEO of Hacon, explains how mobility-as-a-service works and the challenges that come with it. Hacon is a subsidiary of Siemens Mobility.

In September, InnoTrans is addressing mobility-as-a-service developments, and in the Public Transport segment will for the first time host a themed display area under the heading ‘Mobility+’. This is where companies exhibiting supplementary mobility services can meet domestic and international transport companies, transport networks and administrations.

The ultrafine particles emitted by cars and trains impair the air quality in many cities. Braking also releases ultrafine particles into the environment. Measuring no more than a virus in size, they penetrate human tissue and are damaging to health. In the podcast, Christophe Rocca-Serra, founder and CEO of Tallano Technologie, talks about the braking system he has designed which reduces particle emissions by 90 per cent. These are vacuumed directly at source from the brake shoes to ensure they cannot disperse into the environment. In addition to the podcast, other InnoTrans media releases are also highlighting rail technology and mobility innovations. InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will present the InnoTrans Report – a B2B trade magazine – and the InnoTrans Daily newsletter.

Not too cold, not too hot, and well ventilated – in fact just right. Air-conditioning systems ensure the well-being of passengers on buses and trains.

In the podcast, Dr. Wolfgang Reuter explains the trends and innovations taking place in passenger air-conditioning. According to the board of Konvekta AG, it is important to reduce the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems and their impact on the environment by using CO2 as a natural coolant. One especially innovative idea is to use fuel cell-generated heat to regulate the temperature in passenger compartments.

An all-round service and on-board travel comfort are part of an optimum passenger experience. InnoTrans features its own Travel Catering & Comfort Services (TCCS) themed segment, which will be presented by InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz.

Expanding cities, the impact of Covid, the climate crisis and a shortage of skilled workers mean that the rail industry is also facing challenges. In the InnoTrans Podcast Pedro Fortea, director general of the Spanish railway association MAFEX, explains what it means for this sector. In addition to global trends, the rail industry must also confront changing market conditions, technological developments and regulatory demands. To this can be added the coronavirus pandemic, a resultant decline in passenger numbers, and an industry that is unattractive to young people. According to Pedro Fortea, it is important to get people back onto public transport. What is more, the rail industry needs to communicate how important it is for society. In 2022 his focus is on InnoTrans, the leading trade fair for railway technology. The “mecca for railway professionals” is the event every railway professional wants to visit at least once in a lifetime.

In addition, InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will introduce the International Press Circle, an exclusive opening media event for press representatives from Germany and abroad, which will take place on the eve of the opening of the trade fair.

Battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems are among those posing new fire safety challenges. In the InnoTrans Podcast Roger Dirksmeier, managing director of FOGTEC, explains how firefighting measures must adapt. From the point of view of efficiency and safety it is important to look at fire safety as an integrated system. Furthermore, battery-electric and fuel cell drives require a new infrastructure to efficiently combat fires. In that context, FOGTEC has conducted numerous tests under real-life conditions. The digital transformation also opens up new possibilities for fire safety, for instance in maintenance. But who owns the data?

Pandrol and Thomas Lorent, technical director for sustainable resilient systems, talk about current and future challenges facing railway infrastructures. Nowadays, making infrastructures available should be rapid and life cycle costs very low. Infrastructures must also withstand all kinds of negative events. Recent images of flooded subway stations were impressive proof of how important it is to be prepared for climate change. Infrastructure construction and maintenance continue to have a big impact on the carbon footprint of the rail sector, which makes it all the more important to build longevity into an infrastructure from the start. Eco-oriented design is also an important aspect of sustainability.

In the InnoTrans Podcast, both guests will also talk about the role that digitalisation plays for railway infrastructures. This is where an intelligent early warning system is needed to detect infrastructure problems and minimise outages.

Green, digital, connected - this is how Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alstom, sees the future of mobility. One thing is clear: rail transport is the backbone of tomorrow's mobility, because only rail can transport large numbers of passengers and goods efficiently and, above all, in a climate-friendly way. In the InnoTrans podcast, he explains the goals of the "Alstom in Motion 2025" strategy and the technologies in which they will be investing in the future - from drive technologies such as batteries and hydrogen to autonomous trains. The first prototypes of autonomously running trains on open tracks will be available in 2023, Henri Poupart-Lafarge is confident. For the upcoming InnoTrans, Henri Poupart-Lafarge would like to see the same “wow effect“ as they did when the first fuel cell-powered regional passenger train made its world debut at InnoTrans 2018.

InnoTrans Director Kerstin Schulz would also like to see this wow effect. But above all she is looking forward to the personal encounters at InnoTrans, for example at the Executive Tours on the last day of the event.

On-demand, emission-free public transit systems – that is the vision of Chris Snyder, CEO Europe of Via Transportation. Via’s goal is to develop transit systems into powerful digital networks. At the moment, Chris Snyder’s favourite project is the UK’s first fully electric, on-demand ride-sharing bus fleet, introduced in Milton Keynes north of London. In the InnoTrans Podcast, Chris Snyder will talk about the opportunities and challenges of electric and driverless vehicles and why the future lies with integrated mobility systems that integrate every transport mode in an app with a single payment method. Services that are currently provided on an individual basis, such as school bus rides and transporting hospital patients and the disabled, could also be integrated in a digital platform. With Berlkönig for example, a ride-sharing option offered by Via Transportation and BVG public transport in Berlin, wheelchair users now enjoy a quicker and more flexible service.

Public transport is also a topic that InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will focus on. She will explain why it really is impossible to miss the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and which transport companies are exhibiting at the trade fair next year.

Rail transport is a key means of achieving the European Green Deal. To master this role, it will undergo a transformation that will lead to the following setting in 20 to 30 years: The acceptance and attractiveness of the rail system is very high, and both decarbonization and increased energy efficiency across the value chain per passenger- or tonne-kilometer have been achieved on a large scale. Prof. Dr. Siefkes from the German Aerospace Center explains how exactly this will work and why the Batmobile is not an alternative for the transformation of mobility. Furthermore, InnoTrans Director Kerstin Schulz presents the concept of the Hackathon Hacktrain and the results achieved at the previous InnoTrans.

On the way to climate-neutral rail transport with alternative drives – Regina Barringer, Global Rail General Manager of Cummins, a US exhibitor at InnoTrans, will explain how that can succeed and why it is important to fulfil customers’ current needs. Even if in the future diesel drives will continue to be important in various markets and segments, more and more customers are in search of alternative and climate-friendly technologies such as hydrogen and hybrid drives. The focus is also increasingly on energy efficiency and life cycle costing.

In the new podcast episode, InnoTrans director Kerstin Schulz will also offer tips on how trade visitors at InnoTrans can navigate 42 display halls and the fastest way to find global innovations.