VGF - Innovations for the mobility of the future

On May 19, 1872, the first streetcar ran in Frankfurt am Main. It had only one horsepower, because it was a horse-drawn streetcar that has long since been in a museum. 152 years have passed since the birth of public transportation in the Hessian metropolis.

A lot has changed from the horse-drawn streetcar to the use of 386 subways and streetcars. But the development does not stop there, because the VGF is already working on and with some future technologies. As soon as they are ready for series production, they will be integrated into the vehicle systems and made usable in everyday life – not only in the service of the company and its passengers, but of society as a whole. After all, a comprehensive turnaround in transportation is needed to stop climate change, which will not be possible without public transportation as the mobility carrier of the future.

The prerequisite for playing this role is the comprehensive modernization and digitization of the infrastructure. For example, as part of the “Digital Train Control” project, we are revolutionizing train control in favor, which will lead to higher capacity on existing lines and routes. Driver assistance systems and turn assistants, which originated in the automotive sector and are currently being tested in mass transit, will also make streetcar operations safer.

VGF has already successfully tested the concept of autonomous driving in the bus sector. Even if the automation of complete subway operations currently still seems like a pipe dream, more and more innovative technologies will quickly become the norm for transportation companies and customers once they reach series maturity. Digitization, automation and artificial intelligence are the prerequisites for increasing capacity and optimally utilizing the local transport network.

In order to continuously increase the capacity and quality of metro and streetcar services, existing lines can be extended or new sections built. Of particular importance, however, are the modernization and digitization of the existing system, which will benefit customers and the climate alike. Digitization extends not only to driving operations, but also to workflows in the workshops and the monitoring of all operations. Passengers may not notice these changes directly, but they will notice the improved quality of the service.

With “innovation.vgf-ffm.de”, VGF is at the forefront of the development of the 152-year-old local public transport system into a high-tech industry. In doing so, it is creating attractive working conditions and prospects for the future that the driver of the 1 horsepower train on May 19, 1872, would never have dreamed of.