The first trams equipped with Bombardier Transportation’s new Drivers Assistance System (DAS) will enter service in Frankfurt in August, after the system was approved by German authorities.
BT announced this week its DAS had received homologation for passenger service in Germany, after successful trials with the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Frankfurt’s transport authority, the Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main (VFG).
BT describes DAS as “a highly-innovative, anti-collision system that gives tram drivers advanced warning of a potential impact with pedestrians, bikers, other vehicles, or objects obstructing the tram tracks”.
The DAS uses a network of stereovision cameras to identify and track the movement of objects on or near a tram’s path, the company explained.
“Should a potential collision be identified, the system issues an audio alert for the tram driver and can even perform and automatic braking function.”
BT says its DAS is designed to complement its BodyGuard system, a sort of external airbag for trams designed to prevent pedestrians from being trapped under a moving tram – typically the cause for the most serious injuries in collision incidents.
Following approval by the technical supervisory authority, VFG’s vehicle no. 272 recently became the world’s first tram to operate with DAS.
Currently using vehicle 272 for training, VGF will soon equip its other 73 “S” tramcars with DAS, making the Frankfurt fleet the first to be completely equipped with the technology, by December 2016.