Autonomous JuLiA
“North Rhine-Westphalia is already a model region for Mobility 4.0. We demonstrate this with autonomous driving buses, e-tariffs for buses and trains, and digitally connected on-demand shuttles operating in urban and rural areas. Now we are also advancing autonomous driving on rail: The state government supports the development of the self-driving train ‘BrainTrain JuLiA’, which will finally start its test operation from Jülich in 2022. With this, we also contribute to better connectivity between scientific locations in the Rhineland region,” said Transport Minister Ina Brandes during the handover of the funding notice for the rail project “JuLiA” in 2022.
“The future of mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia is digital, connected, and increasingly autonomous – just like the ‘BrainTrain JuLiA’ between Jülich and Linnich. Intelligent solutions for self-driving trains are being researched on a route of about ten kilometers, ranging from semi-automated (with an operator on board) to fully autonomous. Ina Brandes, Minister for Transport, handed over a funding notice for the JuLiA project in December 2021 amounting to €1,067,062.”
“The test operation of the ‘BrainTrain’ is planned to begin in 2022 on a section of track operated by Rurtalbahn GmbH, initially between Jülich and Linnich. The trains are set to run under real laboratory conditions alongside the existing regional public transport services. Gradually, a transition to semi-autonomous regular operation is planned during the further project period starting in 2022, with an optional expansion to the additional branch towards Düren.”
“Overall, the state is providing €2.5 million for autonomous rail driving in 2021. With this initial funding, Rurtalbahn and its project partners can now acquire and retrofit a rail vehicle for trial and test operations.”
