A small-scale test track for an innovative self-balancing rail vehicle has entered service on a German university campus, marking a new phase in the Monocab research program. The initial operational route spans just 20 meters, but it represents a distinct offshoot of the original concept, which was designed to repurpose disused railway lines by running separate vehicles on each rail.
A Fresh Infrastructure Approach
Unlike the original dual-rail reuse model, the campus variant relies on a newly built, single rail along which the vehicle stabilizes itself. This dedicated-track approach gives planners greater freedom in siting the infrastructure while preserving the system’s compact footprint. It also sidesteps, for now, the complex task of modifying legacy rail corridors to allow vehicles to reverse direction or transfer between parallel rails—a capability that has yet to be proven in practice. The campus route could operate as a continuous loop or as a back-and-forth shuttle. Researchers acknowledge that developing functional switches remains a core technical hurdle, a point underscored in a working paper by Jürgen Brunsing of TU Darmstadt.
Funding, Milestones, and the Road to Higher Readiness
The project is backed by $5.12 million in funding and brings together the research team and Fraunhofer IOSB-INA. A key objective set for the end of November 2026 is to demonstrate “MonoCab-specific track and rail switching.” Currently, the technology is classified at Technology Readiness Level 5, defined as a “test setup in an operational environment.” This builds on earlier work from 2021 to 2023 that confirmed basic feasibility for single-rail travel without transfer maneuvers. The next target, TRL 6—“prototype in an operational environment”—is a stage for which the campus railway is expected to be well suited. The vehicle, named Thusnelda, is undergoing initial trials at the Innovation Campus Lemgo of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts (TH OWL). A longer 300-meter route, incorporating curves and gradients, is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, with construction slated to begin in the fall.
Parallel Research Streams and Long-Term Targets
While the campus installation serves as one exploratory track, the broader Monocab initiative continues to pursue a separate, more ambitious timeline. The program still aims to achieve TRL 9—“qualified system with evidence of successful operation”—on a disused line in Extertal in 2028, though the project website also references reaching TRL 8 that same year. Under one scenario, TRL 8 may finalize in 2029, with TRL 9 work commencing in 2030. A roadmap released in early 2025 outlines further milestones, including an expected appearance at the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) starting in April 2027 and a concept presentation at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin. Whether the roadmap can be met, and whether switching and reversing maneuvers will be demonstrated by then, remains open. Because the vehicle’s asymmetrical design is optimized to use the full loading gauge on one side, bidirectional operation on traditional rail corridors would typically require a turning loop or turntable to maintain safe passing clearances between two units.
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