Publication in ETR related to Pods4Rail
In the September -2025 edition of the German publication ETR – Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau you can find an Article with the title: ”Pods for Healthcare – Ein evolutionärer Ansatz zur Stärkung
von Notfallnetzen weltweit ” – “An evolutionary approach to strengthen emergency ”.
An article written by Dr. Andreas Liliequist, Head of Cardiothoracic ICU and OR Perioperative Medicine Heart and Vascular center Karolinska University hospital, Dr.-Ing. Armando Carrillo Zanuy, Secretary General EURNEX (European Rail Research Network of Excellence), Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Winkler and Dr. Walter Struckl from Siemens Mobility and Maria Traunmüller from moodley strategy & design group, presenting the project PODS4Rail.
Translated abstract: Pods for Healthcare – An evolutionary approach to strengthen emergency networks worldwide
The Pods4Rail project, funded by Europe’s Rail JU and involving Siemens, DLR, EURNEX and Moodley as partners, has developed an innovative concept that is a revolutionary approach to emergency medical deployment by integrating autonomous, modular healthcare pods into an intermodal, rail-based transport system. The self-sufficient units enable the rapid deployment of intensive care, operating theatres and advanced diagnostics to provide hospital-level medical care in disaster areas, conflict zones and underserved regions. In contrast to conventional hospital trains, which are primarily geared towards the evacuation of patients, this concept brings complete, mobile hospitals directly to where they are needed. Beyond emergency response, this system also revolutionises general healthcare by bringing high-cost diagnostic services to rural and underserved areas in response to demographic changes and limited resources. By utilising intermodal logistics, these scalable medical units ensure fast, efficient and sustainable healthcare.
