*3.2.2 Road freight transport modules*

Are enclosed four-wheel "vans without driver's cab" and are used for the transport of piece goods, Euro pallets or air containers. They are propelled by a battery-powered electric motor with a capacity sufficient for a range of 50–100 km (**Figure 8**).

Similar to the coupemobile, the freight transport module has forward and reverse extendable axles with height adjustability and crash protection. Both axles are retractable and equipped with a coupling and at least one wheel of each axle is driven

### **Figure 7.**

*Coupemobile, a passenger e-car of the ComplexTrans system for the comfortable transport of five adults and their luggage. Retractable axles, from the back swappable battery, roof grip points and couplers give these cars a whole new range of possibilities, an "unlimited" range and a widely acceptable price.*

### **Figure 8.**

*Long and short freight transport module for transporting goods in ComplexTrans mixed trains. It has its own electric drive, is transported to the end users by road platoons with a guiding vehicle, and can be remotely controlled for local manipulation.*

*ComplexTrans Total Ground Mobility Solution Based on Mutual Adaptation and Deep… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110184*

by an electric motor (cross-placed). All wheels of the long transport module can be swivelled 90° when loading into the train.

The maximum weight of the loaded transport module is 3.5 t, the maximum speed in a platoon is approx. 90 km/h and in a solo journey approx. 25 km/h.

#### **3.3 Terminals: interfaces between road and rail for the transfer of people and goods**

In order for road and rail vehicles to work together, road-rail interchange terminals need to be built. In the ComplexTrans system, terminals are shared for passenger and freight transport, but passenger and freight transport are separated for safety and traffic reasons. Two-storey platforms are used for passenger boarding and alighting and loading and unloading of parcel delivery boxes takes place on the upper platform floor, whilst loading and unloading of passenger and freight vehicles takes place on the lower platform floor (**Figure 9**).

The terminals are located on the outskirts of towns so that the road vehicles carried on the trains do not clog up the town centres. In accordance with the different sizes of cities, there are two types of terminals—terminals and semi-terminals (**Figure 10**).

The terminals will also include preparatory and staging car parks for the vehicles being transported.

#### **Figure 9.**

*Two main and two additional double-deck platforms for passenger-freight exchange. The train stopping time in the terminal can be reduced to about 3 min.*

#### **Figure 10.**

*ComplexTrans (semi-)terminals on the outskirts of cities are used for passenger boarding and alighting as well as cargo loading and unloading; central stations can be used for passengers only.*

#### **Figure 11.**

*ComplexTrans road-rail terminal for common passenger-freight transport.*

The terminals will also include freight tracks where fast freight waggons will wait to connect to and depart from ComplexTrans trains and will be loaded and unloaded at the terminal if they will be carrying shipping containers or car trailers, or will be transported on regional tracks and sidings to their consignees (**Figure 11**).
