We're on the road in France, Toulouse: the metro here runs autonomously. Not unusual from today's perspective, a specialty in the early 90s. As early as the 1980s, the world's first driverless public transport system was developed in France, called Véhicule automatique léger ("light automatic vehicle")

A special feature of the VALs is that they run on rubber wheels and are only guided by rails. These ensure greater adhesion and so high speeds can be achieved with short braking distances thanks to the powerful drive. In this way, the clocking of the tracks can be shortened overall. The operator is more flexible, can adapt the capacity utilization to demand and thus saves costs.

Siemens Mobility has been building the “VALs” since 2001, and there are now various models for light rail transport. The vehicles are adapted to their use, for example the AirVAL is also used as a “people mover” at airports. SIEMENS Mobility is also constantly improving the railways in terms of comfort, safety and innovation.

This is where we come in, because NORIS sensors have recently been installed for the first time. On the one hand, our speed sensor is used with a special design developed for SIEMENS Mobility, whereby the size and the mounting flange are adapted to the existing drive. Our temperature sensor is also on board.

Also new for us is the nameplate mentioned above, which is integrated into the PT100 to identify the motor data. From the date of manufacture to the speed – all important data can be easily read out. In this way, maintenance and repairs can be planned more efficiently.

We are thrilled that we are always faced with new challenges and would like to thank SIEMENS Mobility for the exciting project.