The German Center for Rail Transport Research at the Federal Railway Authority (DZSF) has offices in Dresden (headquarters) and Bonn, Germany, and coordinates its project-related activities through its office in Dresden. The DZSF’s mission is to strengthen the rail system in Germany through independent and practice-oriented research that supports public interest, focusing on safety, environmental sustainability, and efficiency.

DZSF conducts research and coordination activities across topics like rail system resilience, digitalization, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation. It has contributed to numerous national and European projects aimed at strengthening the sustainability and climate-resilience of critical rail infrastructure. The institution provides expertise in transport system analysis, infrastructure assessment, and integration of environmental research into rail planning.

Currently, DZSF is a project partner in the Horizon Europe-funded NATURE-DEMO project, where it is engaged in developing and validating nature-based solutions (NbS) to protect critical infrastructure from climate change. Within this project, the DZSF focuses in particular on railway-specific risk factors such as heat-induced embankment fires and ecosystem-based mitigation strategies, and contributes scientific assessments and policy-relevant data.

Role in the project

In the NATURE-DEMO project, the DZSF plays a crucial role in linking railway infrastructure planning with innovative, nature-based climate adaptation solutions. It focuses on identifying vulnerable elements of railway systems and evaluating how NbS can be applied to mitigate threats such as wildfires, flooding, and slope instability.

DZSF’s main responsibilities include co-defining relevant nature-based interventions, assessing their feasibility in the rail context, and contributing to the digital decision-support platform through the provision of infrastructure-specific data. It supports real-world demonstrations and replicator planning by evaluating railway corridors prone to climate risks.

With strong institutional ties and scientific expertise in railway ecology, climate resilience, and monitoring, DZSF contributes technical data, methodological feedback, and cross-sector knowledge to the consortium. It collaborates with infrastructure owners and scientific partners to ensure outcomes are relevant and scalable across different regions.