The DRAISY project consists in a very light train, 14 meters long, for passenger transport. This railbus is intended to give a new lease of life to small railway lines in rural areas. It meets the needs of nearly 9,000 km of local lines serving rural communities in France.

With three other partners, GCK Battery, Stations-e and the IRT Railenium, SNCF and LOHR are the winners of the “Digitalisation and Decarbonisation of Rail Transport” call for expressions of interest with DRAISY. In the consortium, Lohr provides the rolling stock and KIEPE provides the traction package with the KIEPE Traction Inverter (KTI) and the electrical motor. 

DRAISY is a 100% battery-powered electric light train which can be quickly recharged in stations without impacting passenger service. It is expected to have a 50% cost reduction for the operation and the maintenance compared to the actual regional trains. The DRAISY concept includes a large range of components and systems that are already available on the market, such as the traction chain. The vehicle weights only 20 tonnes, which represents approximatively two-thirds of a conventional regional train.