BENTELER Engineering Services, reliable engineering partner for the complete product life cycle, and 2getthere, developer of innovative transit systems, strengthen their partnership for the development of 2getthere’s automated people mover applications. Over the past few months the companies have already been working together on the engineering of the 3rd generation Group Rapid Transit (GRT) vehicle.

The 3rd generation GRT system will feature all-wheel steering, allowing for even better control of the vehicle and shorter radii in addition to being able to ‘crab’ (drive sideways) at stations. Hence the space required for docking at berths is reduced, with new configuration options becoming feasible. The all wheel steering allows creating a completely bi-directional vehicle. This avoids a turning loop being required in an application with a linear configuration (pinched loop) to reverse direction and optimizes the footprint of the system. With the system being capable of 5,000 passengers per hour per direction, it is an affordable alternative to the heavier Automated People Mover systems. Along with the bi-directional capability of the GRT vehicle, 2getthere introduces doors on both sides of the vehicle and the ability to operate at a higher maximum speed – with the design requirement being at 60km/h or higher. BENTELER Engineering Services will be responsible for the engineering of both the chassis and the body of the GRT vehicle, with the IP of the work being owned by 2getthere.

BENTELER Engineering Services has already worked with 2getthere for the assembly of the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) vehicles operational at Masdar City. With engineering experience in the automotive industry and its capability to realize small series production of vehicles, BENTELER Engineering Services is complementary to the application-, system- and software expertise gathered in 2getthere. Carel van Helsdingen, CEO of 2getthere: ‘With the market for automated systems seeing a rapid growth in the number of interested projects, we were looking for a partner that brings automotive knowledge, German workmanship and Dutch entrepreneurship to the table. We believe the combination of these qualities is represented in BENTELER Engineering Services.’

The new GRT vehicle has been offered for applications in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, drawing excellent reviews from potential customers both on the design and its capabilities.

For more information on BENTELER Engineering Services, please refer to www.benteler-engineering.de