Bombardier's Drivers Assistance System for Trams Receives Homologation

Bombardier Transportation has announced that its innovative Drivers Assistance System (DAS) received homologation for passenger service in Germany. Starting in August 2015, trams equipped with this innovative tram safety platform will enter service in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The DAS is an anti-collision system that gives trams drivers advanced warning of a potential impact with pedestrians, bikers, other vehicles, or objects obstructing the tram tracks. The system uses a network of stereovision cameras to identify and track the movement of objects on or near a tram's path. Should a potential collision be identified, the system issues an audio alert for the tram driver and can even perform and automatic braking function.

This new safety platform compliments the recent development of Bombardier's BodyGuard, a type of external airbag for trams that prevents pedestrians from being trapped under a moving tram, which is typically the cause for the most serious injuries (also developed in collaboration with AIT). Both technologies demonstrate Bombardier's commitment to developing technologies that improve vehicle safety for operators, passengers and pedestrians.

The DAS platform was made possible with technical support from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Frankfurt am Main's transport authority the Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main (VFG), who provided testing opportunities. Following approval by the technical supervisory authority, VFG's vehicle no. 272 is now the first tram in the world to operate normal service equipped with DAS. It is currently being used for training and VGF will soon equip its other 73 "S" tramcars with the DAS, making the Frankfurt fleet the first to be completely equipped with this new safety technology. This upgrade will run until December 2016.