- Bombardier’s innovative safety system detects and prevents tram incidents
Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation, has announced that their innovative Drivers Assistance System (DAS) received homologation for passenger service in Germany. Starting in August 2015, trams equipped with this innovative tram safety platform will enter service in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The DAS is a highly-innovative, anti-collision system that gives trams drivers advanced warning of a potential impact with pedestrians, bikers, other vehicles, or objects obstructing the tram tracks. The system uses a network of stereovision cameras to identify and track the movement of objects on or near a tram’s path. Should a potential collision be identified, the system issues an audio alert for the tram driver and can even perform and automatic braking function.
This new safety platform compliments the recent development of Bombardier’s BodyGuard™, a type of external airbag for trams that prevents pedestrians from being trapped under a moving tram, which is typically the cause for the most serious injuries. Both technologies demonstrate Bombardier’s commitment to developing cutting-edge technologies that improve vehicle safety for operators, passengers and pedestrians.
The highly-complex DAS platform was made possible with technical support from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Frankfurt am Main’s transport authority the Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main (VFG), who provided testing opportunities. Following approval by the technical supervisory authority, VFG’s vehicle no. 272 is now the first tram in the world to operate normal service equipped with DAS. It is currently being used for training and VGF will soon equip its other 73 "S" tramcars with the DAS, making the Frankfurt fleet the first to be completely equipped with this new safety technology. This upgrade will run until December 2016.
Additional information about the Drivers Assistance System can be found in the accompanying technical documentation.
About Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation, a global leader in rail technology, offers the broadest portfolio in the rail industry and delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. BOMBARDIER ECO4 technologies – built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy, and ecology – conserve energy, protect the environment, and help to improve total train performance for operators and passengers. Bombardier Transportation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and has a very diverse customer base with products or services in more than 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide.
About Bombardier
Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.
Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indices. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, we posted revenues of $20.1 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.
Notes to Editors
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