Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (right) and Furtwangen's Mayor Josef Herdner during a visit to Furtwangen University. HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann had invited them to discuss the topic of transport links.
Furtwangen University encourages exchange on mobility around Furtwangen
Mobility in rural areas, and in particular Furtwangen's transport links, were the subject of a discussion during a visit to Furtwangen University (HFU) by Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann. HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann had invited Minister Hermann, Member of the State Parliament Martina Braun, Furtwangen's Mayor Josef Herdner, company representatives and members of the local council to consider together what possibilities there were for improving the university's connections within the region.
In a short presentation, Professor Dr.-Ing. Jochen Baier gave an overview of research into the topic of mobility − Furtwangen University has its own institute specialising in mobility and infrastructure in rural areas. “There are only two places like this in the whole of Germany,” said Baier, “and we don't just talk about it, we live it here!” He and his team have already implemented numerous research projects and are currently developing solutions for improved accessibility in public spaces, for example.
Professor Martin Aichele, Chief Marketing Officer at the university, made it clear that the university would also like to make the Freiburg area more accessible in future. Consideration is being given to launching a kind of “works transport service”, which could ideally transport students and employees of HFU and other companies based in Furtwangen several times a day. “It is important for us to implement improved connections along our entire ‘university axis’,” emphasised HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann. With locations in Furtwangen, Schwenningen, Tuttlingen and a study center in Freiburg, Furtwangen University's sphere of influence extends through the entire Schwarzwald Baar Heuberg business and innovation region and into the neighbouring districts.
“It's great that you are dealing with this topic,” praised Transport Minister Winfried Hermann and emphasised that the state of Baden-Württemberg is characterised by the fact that rural areas are well connected. He reported on funding opportunities, for example for the regional bus system − as has been in place between Furtwangen and Villingen-Schwenningen since the end of 2022. A regional bus connects places without a direct rail connection to the train service. Hermann also reported on a project with autonomous shuttle buses, whose test phase as the RABus in Friedrichshafen, for example, has been well received. Hermann sees this as an important field for autonomous transport.
The university representatives were enthusiastic about the idea, “As a university, we need sustainable mobility,” said President Bormann emphatically. "There are top companies here in the Black Forest. And the shortage of skilled workers is often also a shortage of mobility." “We are doing everything we can to be part of such a pilot project,” added Prof. Dr. Christoph Reich, Vice-President for Research at HFU. “We are happy to contribute our scientific expertise”. The technological implementation could also be obtained directly from the Black Forest via the companies, Reich advertised. The participants in the discussion agreed that they would remain in close contact − and hopefully get the first buses rolling soon.