The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has helped develop a new transport system called Pods4Rail. The project uses modular transport pods that can move between trains, road vehicles, and even cable cars without passengers or cargo changing vehicles. The goal is to make travel and freight transport smoother, faster, and more energy efficient.
Germany’s DLR worked on the project with Siemens Mobility, which coordinated the effort, along with 15 partners from seven European countries. The project received about €3 million in funding from the EuropeanUnion through the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking and the Horizon Europe research programme. DLR contributed expertise in rail and road vehicle design, automation, safety, and digital transport systems.
The project aims to solve a common transport problem. Today, people and goods often need to switch between different vehicles during a journey. That takes time and adds complexity. Pods4Rail keeps passengers or cargo inside the same pod while the pod moves automatically onto different carrier units for rail, road, or cable car travel.
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The system works with two main parts. The pod is the passenger or cargo cabin, while the carrier unit provides the wheels, drive system, power supply, and other equipment needed for each transport mode. For example, a pod could begin its journey on a road vehicle, transfer automatically to a train for the longest part of the trip, and later switch back to a road carrier to reach its final destination.
The concept could support many real-world uses. It may improve public transport in rural areas, make parcel delivery more efficient, and even support mobile medical services. Because trains carry most of the journey, the system could also reduce energy use while still offering direct door-to-door transport.
The project is still in the research stage. Engineers must continue testing the technology, improve automatic transfer systems, and address regulations, costs, and integration with existing transport networks before it can be widely used. Larger trials are expected in future development phases.
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Pods4Rail shows how different transport systems can work together instead of operating separately. If the technology proves successful, it could make public transport and freight movement more flexible, efficient, and easier to use. The next step is the PREFER project, which will continue developing and testing the modular transport concept.
According to DLR, the project explored more than 20 possible applications and created eight business scenarios to guide future development. The research focused on making transport more flexible while keeping rail at the center of the journey.
