New title in the VDV Blue Series

Category: Publications, Traffic & Environment

By: Martin Schäfer

Authored 100% by STUVA

In addition to the field of underground engineering, STUVA has also been active in rail and road transport matters for more than fifty years. The extensive knowledge acquired during this period was incorporated into the book "Sustainable local transport - Contributions by local passenger transport to environmental and climate protection", published in September, 2010 as a new title in the VDV's "Blue Series" (Figure 1).

This work reflects the social and economic requirement for mobility with simultaneous attention to environmental safety and sustainability. Published ahead of the InnoTrans, it was showcased for the first time at this international lead fair for rail-transport technology and presented by the VDV President, Jürgen Fenske, to the Federal Minister of Transport, Dr. Peter Ramsauer (Figure 2).

The book was compiled entirely by STUVA, with financial support from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs. Figure 3 shows members of the project-support committee.

Local public transport possesses the great advantage that all essential elements (planning, construction, operation, staffing and financing) can be controlled, thus permitting the achievement of a harmonised overall concept. This two-volume publication, drafted in both German and English, provides transport operators and municipalities with a comprehensive aid for this structuring step. Volume 1, "Practical Examples", lists in its eight chapters environmentally safe and energy-efficient potentials for the improvement of environmental and climate protection, citing specific examples from all sectors of local public transport. Numerous provisions relevant for future environmental and climate concepts in local public transport which have, however, remained restricted to only few specific applications up to now, or are still at the evaluation stage, are examined, in addition to widely implemented measures reflecting the current state-of-the-art. Each chapter closes with a brief summary, containing recommendations for action, with the inclusion of an assessment on the basis of the respective development status. The first volume concludes with summarising check-lists for each of the sectors.

Volume 2, "Fundamentals", is devoted to problems, effects and conceptual solutions in the field of environmental and climate protection, both globally and - in view of the contribution made by local public transport - regionally and locally. The technological fundamentals in the energy-generation and energy-supply sectors, which are of particular importance for the future, are also analysed for the various energy sources (fossil fuels, nuclear energy, solar, wind and hydroelectric power, geothermics and biomass). The "Fundamentals" volume concludes with an overview of the most important current European and German legal requirements and principles relating to environmental and climate protection.

---