For four days the focus in Berlin was on InnoTrans. The leading trade fair came to a successful conclusion on September 22, boasting record exhibitor and trade visitor numbers, a rise in the quality of trade visitors, an increase in business volume, more than 400 innovations, 155 world premieres, as well as 155 vehicles on the Outdoor Display and Bus Display.
InnoTrans attracted around 160,000 trade visitors from over 110 countries to Berlin. 3,062 exhibiting companies and institutions from 61 countries also contributed to the success of this year’s InnoTrans. They showcased the mobility sector’s entire range of products and services to an international audience on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
”This year’s InnoTrans once again impressively showed that it is the ideal platform for presenting forward-looking innovations, combined with an enormous international appeal“, said Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin. ”No other event offers trade visitors such a comprehensive and global insight into every part of the industry’s value chain.“
According to a representative survey, the status and competence of trade visitors at InnoTrans has continued to grow: 50 per cent of those polled occupied a senior position in their company, which corresponded to the increase in business concluded at InnoTrans. Overall, around 89 per cent of exhibitors said they were satisfied with their results at the trade fair. Some 52 per cent of trade visitors came from abroad, with numbers from Southern, Eastern and Central Asia experiencing the highest growth. A total of 25 business delegations from 18 countries attended the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, including from Abu Dhabi, India and the USA.
Public Days on September 22 and 23
On 22 and 23 September InnoTrans is opening its Outdoor Display to interested members of the public. With 145 examples of the latest rail vehicles being displayed on 3,500 meters of rail track, railway enthusiasts of all ages can gain a deep insight into the fascinating world of the railways. Highlights include the Coradia Stream low-floor train from the French manufacturer Alstom and the new light-rail S-Bahn from Siemens / Stadler, which is due to enter service in Berlin in 2021. Deutsche Bahn’s “train of ideas” at the South Entrance shows how we will be travelling in the future, and “Emma”, the old steam locomotive, is also part of the show again.
As well as its vehicle displays on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, Deutsche Bahn is organizing a colourful program of events, including graffiti removal, training for practical situations, and a walk-in toy train for children. On Saturday and Sunday, the Messe Berlin Outdoor Display is open from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Admission is three euros for adults and free for children under the age of 14. Tickets can be purchased at the Southern Entrance, which is located on Jafféstraße directly next to the S-Bahn station Messe Süd. A free shuttle service is available to take visitors from Olympischer Platz in comfort to the exhibition grounds and back again.
Comments by exhibitors on InnoTrans 2018
Dr. Ben Möbius, managing director, German Railway Industry Association (VDB): "InnoTrans 2018 was spectacular. Battery and hydrogen-powered drivetrains, digitization, cybersecurity – the future of mobility is ready to go now. This leading international trade fair gave a fascinating demonstration of the innovative capabilities of our industry. Around the world we are pushing the limits of what can be achieved in terms of protecting our climate and offering quality to the customer. I believe InnoTrans 2018 showed that the rail industry stands for a high degree of common sense – and increasingly for fun."
Philippe Citroën, director general, Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE): "With every edition InnoTrans proves itself to be the most attractive exhibition for the rail industry in the world and the place to be for rail professionals. UNIFE took again the opportunity to present the results of the 7th edition of the World Rail Market Study, to reinforce the cooperation with the other European and international stakeholders, as well as to address key issues for the European Rail Supply Industry such as the implementation of the 4th Railway Package, ERTMS, competitiveness, digitization, research and innovation, and quality (IRIS Certification). Even though this edition just finished I am already looking forward to the next one in 2020, which will for sure surpass the records established by the 2018 edition."
Dr. Richard Lutz, CEO, Deutsche Bahn AG: "The high level of international interest in InnoTrans clearly showed that rail transport plays a key role in creating sustainable forms of mobility in our society. With our participation in the trade fair we showed that new technology can take rail transport to a higher level. With our new Digital Rail for Germany programme Deutsche Bahn will increase capacity for rail transport and increase reliability."
Sabrina Soussan and Michael Peter, CEOs, Siemens Mobility GmbH: "InnoTrans 2018 went extremely well for us. We spoke with many customers about joint projects, which both confirmed our efforts and inspired us, and there was keen interest in our products. The main focus was on the digital transformation, which with our technology enables operators around the world to make trains and infrastructures intelligent, to generate long-term added value over the entire life cycle, improve passenger comfort and guarantee availability."
Jürgen Fenske, president, Association of German Transport Companies (VDV): "This year, with more than 3,000 exhibitors and a wealth of rail technology innovations, InnoTrans, the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology, showed that public bus and train services are becoming more and more important. In Germany more than ten billion customers make use of local public transport every year. Political decision-makers, who also attended InnoTrans in large numbers, have generally accepted the pivotal role of public transport in protecting our climate and maintaining clean air. The trade fair showed us once again that passenger and rail freight services stand for modern and sustainable forms of transport that can continue to grow providing political decision-makers target innovative and environmentally friendly transport throughout."
Olaf Zinne, managing director electric traction systems and vehicles dvision, Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e. V. (ZVEI): "Besides alternative powertrains the main topic at InnoTrans 2018 was the digital transformation. Where driverless vehicles and pre-emptive maintenance were concerned, German companies were able to showcase their innovative capabilities, with technology spearheaded by the electrical engineering industry. InnoTrans impressively confirmed its role as the leading trade fair for this sector."
Dr. Christoph Hoppe, CEO, Thales Deutschland: "InnoTrans 2018 proved once again that it is the leading trade fair for transport technology. As a key player, Thales was able to meet its customers from Germany and abroad, welcome political stakeholders and hold a lot of good talks. Our topic was ”Leading Digital Mobility". We were able to show Berlin audiences what we have in mind for the future of safe transport. We were able to demonstrate how our technology helps to make the world that little bit safer. We combine traditional products with innovative new technology to support our customers’ bold ambitions, be it in the field of driverless operations, IoT and connectivity, artificial intelligence, big data or cybersecurity. Every year, eight billion train passengers benefit from technology by Thales, of which we are very proud."
