Road and Rail Research Initiative Launched

In a bid to improve future transportation capacity and safety in Sweden, KTH has joined the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and the National Road and Transport Research Institute (Statens Väg- och Trafikinstitut, VTI) in announcing plans to invest a total of SEK 200 million (USD 29.1 million) on research and innovation in road and rail technology.

"Together with our partner governmental agencies, KTH will play a central role in the largest road and rail technology research project ever undertaken in Sweden," says Bjorn Birgisson, vice president for research at KTH.

Each of the three partners in the project has agreed to invest SEK 40 million per year for five years. The funds will go toward research and development in operations, maintenance and construction of roads and railways.

The joint investment in addressing future road and rail traffic challenges involves universities, research institutes, contractors, suppliers, consultants and inventors in an industrywide initiative.

"Among the issues we’ll face is creating energy-efficient, accessible and cost-effective traffic solutions, especially in big cities. This project will give researchers and practitioners the chance to meet at the planning stage," Birgisson says.

Current research focuses largely on the development of environmentally sound materials that can help reduce noise and carbon dioxide emissions while cutting energy consumption.

Examples include recent studies of movement in asphalt molecules employing the advanced microscope technology, while other research projects are aimed at developing new computer models for virtual asphalt design.

"Investment in research will increase productivity in the road and railway sector in Sweden, and that’s key to national economic competitiveness," says Birgisson. "KTH is already home to world-class laboratories in road and rail technology, and we’ll inaugurate a new center in January."