SPNV 2000 Local Rail Transport. A Modular Vehicle Design of the German Federal Railway.

The project SPNV 2000 sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology has as its aim the development of a modular vehicle design for local services on the German Federal Railway. On the basis of questionnaires sent to users eighteen variants of vehicle module for different fields of application - S-bahn, conurbation and regional transport - were designed. These designs were assessed by value analysis followed by cost examination. As a result, a multiple-unit style of vehicle is proposed which consists of four-axle modules, all axles being driven on the power cars and none on the intermediate cars or driving trailers. These modules form the basis of a modular system of component vehicles which adapts flexibly to any field of utilization while not hindering the development of the individual components.