The RUN2RAIL project will explore an ensemble of technical developments for future running gear, looking into ways to design trains that are more reliable, lighter, less damaging to the track, more comfortable and less noisy. These innovations will be proposed in the form of case studies supported by the methods and tools elaborated in the project.

The project develops across four thematic Work Streams: Innovative sensors & condition monitoring, Optimised materials & manufacturing technologies, Active suspensions & mechatronics, Noise & Vibration. In these four areas, the project will provide a coordinated set of technical key contributions including (but not limited to):

• Smart sensors and smart running gear components with self-diagnosing capability;
• Use of novel materials and manufacturing methods in combination with intelligent / active suspensions to enable non- conventional running gear concepts;
• Identification of efficient fabrication processes for the running gear (3D metal printing, automated tape layering of composite materials);
• Assessment of existing off-the-shelf technology for active control coming from other sectors; development of a novel and comprehensive methodology for predicting the transmission of noise and vibration from the running gear to the carbody.

Within the four workstreams, the project will also perform a preliminary evaluation of the related regulatory and standardisation issues, together with a careful assessment of the impacts of the new solutions proposed. The research conducted will be multidisciplinary, i.e. based on the integration of different branches of engineering such as mechanical, materials, electronic and electrical engineering, and will establish models and formal methods to explore a full set of technological developments, exploiting at best the matching mix of talent and diverse skills offered by the Consortium.