2 billion euros: BB’s digital invasion

“Today, many people sit in their cars because they do not have public mobility. Digitization can bridge the gap here,” says mobility expert Katja Diehli Friday at BB “Connected Mobility Day”.

According to its own statements, Austria’s largest railway company intends to invest about 2 billion euros in the digitization of the group in the coming years. BB CEO. According to Andreas Matha Help the ongoing change “to be efficient, safer and more climate-friendly on the road.”

techniques used

As announced at the event, OBB operations are to be fully digital and AI-enabled in the future. Among other things, the game automated resource planning And predictive maintenance (predictive maintenance) plays a role. For this data has to be generated, like Marcus FranzuBB’s CIO explains.

These include train checkpoints, freight wagons with measuring points and sensors that record shock or vibration, the position of the wheels and the heat temperature of the brakes. this data must be a artificial intelligence To be fed They help, for example, with the optimization of imaging processes or the use of text-to-speech applications. New technologies are also to be used, such as drones and VR technologies.

As the recording and use of data increases, data and information security in importance. The Protect program helps ensure the BB requires cyber security. Another point in this context is that of employees, who should be given an opportunity to develop their digital skills. All the BB companies are working together around this 800 IT Specialists,

Digitization vs. Climate Problems

“Climate Conservation Efforts Need More Traffic Shift To Rails,” Says Mark Topla, Head of Systems Technology and Group Production at BB. Railway operating procedures, which are often still run manually, have to be modernised. Productivity must be increased through the use of digital applications, and much more. Till then 2040 Do BB want to improve his performance double Move more people and goods to their tracks.

is a concrete example digital automatic clutch On rail transport, the choice of which does not yet exist in Europe. The European DAC Delivery Program is dedicated to implementing these. This technology will affect not only work safety, but also the time required for coupling and decoupling, train preparation and brake and wagon inspection. “All of these can be digitized and simplified,” says Topal.

According to their own statements, the customers of the company currently save one year 4 million tons of CO2, But you want to further reduce your own ecological footprint. By 2030, BB would like to climate neutrality reach. This should be achieved through further electrification and the use of alternative drive technologies.

Benefits: Connectivity and Capacity Expansion

BB not only wants to take its customers from A to B by train, “We eventually accompany people to their destination. So that you don’t have to book something with multiple providers, these are way finder appSo that the whole trip can be organized. This includes tickets from various providers such as public transport, e-scooters and car sharing services.

It has always been about a “holistic mobility solution”, and this applies to freight transport as well. For example, the digital assistant is mike, which also aims to make it easier to request, plan and transport freight. As clemens forstThe CEO of BB Rail Cargo Group says: “Driving a train through Europe should be as easy as driving a truck through Europe.” With some customers, the entire transportation process from the announcement of a transportation requirement to billing has already been digitized.

Another example of the aggressive benefits of digitization bibi live, which deliver information to customers directly on their mobile device. This includes orientation assistance at stations, information about train equipment and occupancy forecasts showing where more free seats are available. This means that even faster descents are possible.

New applications are also being used in the customer care sector. Of chatbot With the help of staff were trained and helps in handling large number of customer inquiries in a better way. In October, at the time Climate Ticket was introduced, it is said to have received 20,000 customer inquiries alone.

Transition to digital public transport

According to Diehl, the biggest challenge with respect to digitization is understanding and utilizing the resulting opportunities. To do this, a message must also be passed across generations, as Matha points out. “You can get home safely by train or public transportation, you always know where you are and you have the appropriate connection systems in place.” It’s not far away, but the Connected Mobility Initiative is working hard to make it happen.