As part of the EU project Pods4Rail, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), together with 14 other partners, has developed a modular mobility concept for integrating rail, road, and cable cars. At the heart of this approach are standardized transport capsules—known as “pods”—that can be mounted on various mobile carrier units for different modes of transportation.
People or goods are intended to remain in the same capsule throughout the entire transport chain. For example, a road carrier unit could transport a pod from a rural region to a hub, where it would be automatically transferred to a rail carrier unit. Due to its capacity and energy efficiency, rail forms the backbone of this concept.
The project examined more than 20 potential use cases and developed eight business scenarios. These range from on-demand passenger transport on secondary routes to package logistics and mobile medical facilities. Among other things, the DLR investigated vehicle structures, energy requirements, climate control, interfaces, automation, communication, and safety and regulatory requirements. The results are intended to serve as the basis for the next stage of development. A follow-up project called PREFER is expected to launch in 2026. (oe)
