Reducing the weight of railway vehicles by replacing metal structural components with lighter ones made of composite materials, increasing vehicle capacity and passenger comfort through intelligent modular interior design were some of the objectives of this project, which began in October 2017 and was coordinated by CIDETEC.

AIMPLAS's participation has focused on developing new hybrid resin formulations with improved flame propagation resistance for application in fiber-reinforced polymers. The results are promising and are expected to be applicable to other sectors such as construction, automotive, and aerospace.

Furthermore, the properties of these new materials have been evaluated in structural parts for the replacement of metallic components. To this end, we have collaborated on improving specific regulations for calculating fatigue stresses in trams. Specifically, we have participated in the standardization processes for the design and calculation of trams using sensor monitoring. We have also evaluated the joints between dissimilar materials (composites and metals) to improve their properties.

The project also involved redesigning both the cabs and the seats to create the cab of the future, incorporating new technologies and communication systems. This will increase safety, detect the presence of unauthorized objects on the track, and improve inter-vehicle communication. Modular cars have been developed that allow for different configurations thanks to multifunctional panels with various device connections.

As for the seats, a new design will allow for greater occupancy, greater comfort, and freedom of arrangement.

With the implementation of this project, it is expected to improve the railway infrastructure in terms of costs, operation and reliability, as well as punctuality, increased capacity and energy efficiency, in addition to reducing life cycle costs.

Mat4RAIL has involved the participation of fifteen other research institutes, SMEs, large companies and a university from seven European countries: INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DE ARAGÓN and AIMPLAS- INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DEL PLÁSTICO (Spain); UNIVERSITAET BREMEN, IMA MATERIALFORSCHUNG UND ANWENDUNGSTECHNIK GMBH, NVGTR GBR and GRAMMER RAILWAY INTERIOR GMBH (Germany); CENTRE SCIENTIFIQUE & TECHNIQUE DE L'INDUSTRIE TEXTILE BELGE and COEXPAIR SA (Belgium); HUNTSMAN ADVANCED MATERIALS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, ESCATEC SWITZERLAND AG and ACCELOPMENT AG (Switzerland); RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB (Sweden); ASAS ALUMINYUM SANAYI VE TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI (Türkiye); and SPIRIT DESIGN - INNOVATION AND BRAND GMBH and INDAT MODELLBAU WERKZEUGBAU FORMENBAU GMBH (Austria).

The MAT4RAIL project has received funding from the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU), one of the public-private partnerships in the railway sector within the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, agreement number 777595.