Formed of three discrete workstreams, the FINE-2 project will investigate means of enabling Integrated Mobility Management (I2M), saving Energy, and reducing inconvenient and disruptive Noise and Vibration (N&V) within the Rail Sector. As a Cross Cutting Activity of the Shift2Rail Programme, FINE-2 will work alongside multiple existing projects to achieve more impactful results through collaboration and shared learning. The I2M workstream will help to enhance the business case for intermodal freight transportation by tackling many of the issues present today, such as accurate ETA, control of hazardous material, and reduced resource waste. I2M will also look at improving Rail Operations through the new forms of data combination and representation. The Energy workstream will develop tools to help understand the energy saving potential, thus Whole Life Cost benefits, of specific enhancements within the industry. It will also optimise tunnel resistance characteristic methodologies, and seek to enhance energy norms to reflect existing state of the art and future developments. Finally the N&V will develop and enhance existing models and simulation tools from across the S2R programme to better understand the source of external noise, whether the train is at standstill or in motion, to help pinpoint the means of reducing it.

The PINTA Project (IP1 Traction TD1 and Brakes TD5 – Phase 1) will address the two key topics highlighted in the first Shift2Rail Call topic S2R-CFM-IP1-01-2016 – Development of concepts towards the next generation of traction systems and management of wheel/rail adhesion, namely Traction and Adhesion Management. Traction subproject will focus on the improvement of seven technical and economical performances of the Traction system that have been agreed and defined in Roll2Rail. These performances have to be improved on five different train applications having different constraints, needs and specificities, from tramway to HST, including metro, sub-urban, regional trains. In particular, Traction sub-project will address the following: 1) Line capacity increase through weight, volume and noise savings of Traction equipment. 2) Operational reliability increase via higher reliability/availability. 3) Railway system LCC reduction As far as Adhesion management is concerned, the work will lead to the achievement of a number of important objectives linked to Brakes, such as · Improvement of braking degradation limit in poor adhesion condition · Management of all adhesion conditions in a way that brake distances are optimized · Improvement of the overall train safety, which relies substantially on the management of the wheel/rail contact · Reduction of wheel Life-Cycle-Costs (LCCs) through optimized wheel/rail contact in braking The activities should contribute in formulating new performance specifications for Adhesion Recovery Systems. Moreover, improved requirements for Wheel Slide Protection test procedures should be developed, followed by new specifications for Automatic Test benches.

The IAM4RAIL project focuses on seven (7) different integrated demonstrators for rail assets which are key for research and innovation (R&I) in the rail sector. Integrating asset condition information obtained via advanced monitoring with decision-making tools and into the traffic management system (TMS), combining available information with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins are covered as key topics for R&I in IAM4RAIL. Other topics such as interventions using cutting-edge technologies as robotics or additive manufacturing are seen as relevant for improving asset management in the rail sector. An European cross-border, interoperable and holistic integrated approach is needed for those topics and others in the asset management framework, that are to be transferred once developed crucial to harmonise European Rail System. Therefore, IAM4RAIL aims to reinforce the next generation of Intelligent and Integrated Rail Asset Management providing and demonstrating innovative solutions covering fixed and rolling stock assets, minimizing the life cycle costs of assets and extend their lifetime, while meeting safety requirements and improving the reliability, availability and maintainability of the rail system. IAM4RAIL will pave the way for the integration of asset condition information and TMS, enabling optimization of train routing decisions and improving the overall lifecycle of monitored assets. IAM4RAIL ensures an increased volume of rail traffic in existing lines with improved cost efficiency and lower CO2 emissions from their maintenance and operations. Furthermore, construction time and cost of new assets and lines are reduced, the durability and reliability of their assets increased, and their life cycle costs are optimized. Competitiveness of the European railway industry is strengthened through the obtention of more qualified products, and its application improves the performance (capacity, flexibility and punctuality) of the whole railway system.

The ROLL2RAIL project aims to develop key technologies and to remove already identified blocking points for radical innovation in the field of railway vehicles, as part of a longer term strategy to revolutionise the rolling stock for the future. The high level objectives of the work are to pave the way to: • Increase the capacity of the railway system and bring flexibility to adapt capacity to demand • Increase availability, operational reliability and therefore punctuality of the vehicles • Reduce the life cycle costs of the vehicle and the track • Increase the energy efficiency of the system • Improve passenger comfort and the attractiveness of rail transport Specific developments are proposed the scope of ROLL2RAIL: • Basis of a radically new traction technology based on emerging electronic components leading towards more energy-efficient traction, which is lighter and more reliable while reducing the noise emitted • New wireless technology applied to train control functionalities will allow more flexible coupling to increase line capacity • Carbody solutions based on lightweight composite materials to reduce weight • A way of quantifying the life-cycle cost impact of new technological solutions for running gear; • Knowledge database of the variety of requirements in Europe for the braking systems to bring down barriers to step-change innovation in this area • Standardised methodologies for assessing attractiveness and comfort from the passenger’s point of view • Methodology for noise source separation techniques allowing implementation of novel and more efficient noise mitigation measures It is also the objective of ROLL2RAIL to serve as a preparation for a fast and smooth start up of the large scale initiative SHIFT2RAIL. All ROLL2RAIL results will ultimately lead to demonstration in real vehicles or relevant environments in SHIFT2RAIL.

The FINE 1 project aims to reduce operational costs of railways by a reduction of energy use and noise related to rail traffic. The project results are expected to enable an increase of traffic in Europe and to enhance the attractiveness of railway in relation to other modes of transport. The project activities will support the innovation process within the S2R Technical Demonstrators (TDs) by providing methodology and know-how to enable development of low noise and low energy TDs. The project is fully in line with the EU objectives with eight technical work packages (WPs) addressing technologies to support these objectives. The reduction of energy use for rail vehicles is as addressed in WP 3 and WP4 and will indirectly lead to reduced green-house gas emissions, also with most rail transport powered with electricity. Further, reducing energy use will lower the life cycle cost and the costs of vehicle operation. The project also aims at development of practical methods for predicting noise and vibration performance on system level including both rolling stock, infrastructure and its environment. Prediction of interior vehicle noise is addressed in WP 7 and source modelling for interior and exterior noise in WP 8. With an accurate characterization of each contributing source, it will be possible to optimize cost benefit scenarios, as addressed in WP 6, as well as take exposure and comfort into account. Finally, the auralisation and visualisation techniques of traffic noise scenarios and the noise control techniques developed in WP 9, support the reduction of noise exposure for residents by efficient traffic planning and novel mitigation techniques. In summary, the expected FINE 1 advances of the state-of-the-art in noise modelling and control as well as in energy management and control methodology, will improve the competitiveness of the European railway system compared to other modes of transportation and thus promoting a modal shift to rail.