How ZF shapes the Future of Rail Mobility

Today, ZF serves its rail customers with driveline and chassis products, condition monitoring systems as well as services. For our continued development, our strategic focus is on electrification, digitalization and automation.

Digitalization and software

Turning data into motion

Connectivity and digitalization have become an integral part of our everyday lives. The enormous quantities of information available everywhere and in real time make new functions and business models possible that were unthinkable a few decades ago.

Software competence is becoming a key factor for innovation and an indispensable characteristic of technology leaders. This also applies to mobility and industrial applications: The prerequisite for successful products is the ability to network individual components to form comprehensive systems that act and learn independently thanks to artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms.

With connect@rail, ZF combines digital know-how and intelligent connectivity solutions for rail transport. Our innovative solutions, monitoring systems, and digital services support rail operators in permanent monitoring, early maintenance planning and predictive maintenance of their fleets. Thus, efficiency, reliability and safety in rail transportation can be further increased thanks to integrated sensors and advanced data analysis tools.

Learn more about the connect@rail platform

To the product overview

Discover our portfolio of digital products

Efficiency and electrification

High tech on the railway

An average of 30 years of operation in passenger and goods transport means one thing: The cost-effectiveness of a train depends to a large extent on the service life of its components. Faster journey and transport speeds, driving safety, and more demanding requirements on comfort require continuous improvements in components.

By combining decades of rail expertise with crossindustry know-how, ZF creates intelligent, modular solutions tailored to specific vehicle and application requirements. The result: technologies intended to reduce energy consumption, minimize wear, increase availability and enhance passenger comfort – even under demanding operating conditions.

Different transmissions for rail vehicles from ZF.

To the product overview

Discover our portfolio of driveline products

Chassis technology

A single source for complete damping systems

Modern chassis technology for rail vehicles should be quiet, comfortable and reliable. No easy undertaking when you consider the inherent technical challenges.

Once traveling at more than 250 kilometers an hour (>150 mph), wear and maintenance costs of rolling stock and the rail system rise almost exponentially. As a technology leader, ZF is also setting new standards here, and offers perfectly matched damping components and system for all types of rail vehicle.

The product portfolio range from vertical and horizontal dampers in primary and secondary applications on to yaw dampers for a variety of applications. This portfolio is the basis for the development of innovative and efficient damping concepts in close cooperation with the customer.

Whether the issue at hand is driving stability or enhanced driving comfort: No other type of vehicle currently requires such a diverse system of perfectly calibrated vibration dampers as high-speed rail vehicles. The high quality of the ZF damper models guarantees maximum service life and therefore maximum cost-efficiency.

To the product portfolio

Discover our portfolio of chassis products

Repowering

Modernizing fleets for tomorrow’s rail operations

If rail operators in local and regional transport want to remain on the road to success, their vehicles have to run economically over as long a period as possible. In the case of diesel multiple units, fuel costs alone account for more than two thirds of the total life cycle costs of the vehicles.

Repowering enables operators to replace outdated driveline technology with modern, more efficient systems. The result is improved vehicle performance, reduced operating costs and an extended service life for existing rolling stock.

Open the following Q&A sections to learn more about repowering

What is a repower?

Repowering can be done with almost all DMU trains.

Benefits

Reduced life cycle costs

Optimized maintenance intervall

Better fuel consumption

Reduced train weight

Why consider a repower?

Advantages

What are the main advantages?

Reduced lifecycle costs
- Lower fuel costs
- Lower oil consumption
- Better maintenance intervals (reduced preventive and corrective maintenance)
Extended service life of rail vehicles
Reduced costs when using the track infrastructure due to lower weight

Weight

How does it affect the weight of the vehicle?

It reduces the weight of the train and consequential load to chassis components.

Type of rail vehicle

In which type of rail vehicles can I do a repower?

Repowering can be done with almost all DMU trains, the business case is driven by specific customer targets.

What to consider when planning a repower project?

Integration design & development

Calculations & modelling

Testing, approval & certificates

ZF hardware

Frames & brackets

Electric harness & cooler lines

Train control hardware & software

Workshop

Manpower

Special equipment

ZF products for repowering

EcoWorld 2

ZF's six-speed powershift transmission with integrated reversing function. It is currently supplied to MTU for Irish Rail and Porterbrook Leasing.

Get to know EcoWorld 2

EcoLife Rail 2

Powershift transmission. It has not yet been used for repowering projects.

Get to know EcoLife Rail 2

Implemented repowering projects

EcoWorld for Repowering project at Irish Rail

On a joint mission to cut emissions

The new EcoWorld six-speed transmission system by ZF is installed into MTU PowerPacks. For a Repower project, Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, the Republic of Ireland's state railroad, has ordered three of the completely integrated drive systems for their diesel-powered 22000 Class Intercity train. This train has recently entered passenger service.

Project Manager at Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail Stephen Campbell explains: “We hope to achieve fuel savings and thus carbon emissions reductions of 20% compared to the previous version of the drive systems. This is a significant contribution to the Irish Government’s Project Ireland 2040 development plan.“