LogIKTram Project Closing with a Live Demonstration
New prospects for urban freight transport also relieve road traffic
Research focus: Intelligent Transportation Systems and Logistics
In the LogIKTram research project, experts investigated how future freight transportation can be transferred to streetcar and light rail vehicles to relieve urban and regional road traffic.
At the final event of the LogIKTram research project on June 28, 2024, in Karlsruhe, a solution for the sustainable relief of urban and regional road traffic was presented – shifting freight traffic from road to rail over medium and short distances. Special streetcars, used as so-called “freight tram”, offer an innovative and eco-friendly transportation system for the urban and regional delivery of goods to private households and businesses.
Live demonstration of research results
Alongside presentations of the innovative concept, a prototype implementation of the freight tram system was presented in a live demonstration. For this purpose, the consortium leader Alb Valley Transport Company (AVG) provided a streetcar vehicle specially converted to meet the project’s requirements. During the demonstration, the participants could experience the smooth technical integration of freight transport into the rail-bound public transport network. An electric-assisted bicycle trailer drove autonomously to the designated section of the streetcar to be transported to the delivery area. From there, the eTrailer would be taken over by a bicycle courier for delivery.
“I am very pleased about the successful completion of our joint research project. This groundwork is crucial to ensure we can transport goods in a climate-friendly way with our streetcar vehicles in Karlsruhe shortly,” says Christian Höglmeier, Technical Managing Director of AVG, adding: “I would like to thank all the consortium partners involved for their contribution to the success of this key project.”
Innovative concepts for seamless coordination
With passenger transport and logistics, the LogIKTram project brought together two very different systems. There were neither standards nor interfaces for data exchange to date. To evaluate the concept, the ICT platform was coupled with simulations. This allowed the interaction between the vehicle, automated load handling, and journeys, as well as the logistics and rail operations planning and control processes, to be examined.
Role model for other cities
The expansion of e-commerce affects the delivery traffic and puts a strain on the road infrastructure and residents alike. Plus, the trip costs of a full streetcar are similar to those of an empty one. So what if unoccupied space could be used to transport goods, for instance? Many cities and municipalities are already considering alternative options for local logistics. LogIKTram is intended to serve as a model for other cities with streetcar or light rail networks, integrating regional rail transport into urban logistics. With a holistic approach, the solution concept includes the transport technology for the freight streetcar, a suitable ICT platform, and an overall logistics concept along the transport chain from the regional distribution warehouses via the freight streetcar to the urban logistics hubs.
About the project:
Project coordination: Alb Valley Transport Company (AVG)
Project partners: FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, INIT GmbH, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Marlo Consultants GmbH, SimPlan AG, DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH
Associated partners: AEN – Automotive Engineering Network, e-mobil BW GmbH, Hitachi, City of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion, Karlsruhe Transport Authority (KVV)
Funded by: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
About the FZI
The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, with headquarters in Karlsruhe and a branch office in Berlin, is a non-profit institution for information technology application research and technology transfer. It delivers the latest scientific findings in information technology to companies and public institutions and qualifies individuals for academic and business careers or the leap into self-employment. Supervised by professors from various faculties, the research groups at the FZI develop interdisciplinary concepts, software, hardware, and system solutions for their clients and implement the solutions found as prototypes. The FZI House of Living Labs provides a unique research environment for application research. The FZI is an innovation partner of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and a strategic partner of the German Informatics Society (GI).
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