A City in Motion - with Continental Air Springs

HANOVER, Germany, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MS -- Around 30,000 pairs of feet battle their way step by step through the U.S. city of Boston, each of them covering – in the best-case scenario – a total of 42.195 kilometers. There is no standing still. You need to keep moving forward if you want to cross the finish line. On April 16, 2018, the annual Boston Marathon – a classic among all the city marathons – will celebrate its 122nd anniversary. In addition to thousands of runners, the event also attracts crowds of spectators every year. While this is a good thing for the event itself, the downside is that the city becomes clogged and traffic is as good as gridlocked. But this is not an issue either for the residents of the city or the enthusiastic sports fans thanks to the city's well-developed public transport network. And it is to this public transport network that technology company Continental will soon also be making its own contribution in the form of enhanced ride comfort.

According to Key Account Manager Günter Sengeis, Continental will be supplying new air springs for the trains on the Boston metro. The new technology is to be installed on the carriages and in service at the latest in time for the 2019 Boston Marathon. The existing carriages might already be equipped with air springs – but these ones were installed 30 years ago. But now it's high time for an upgrade, says Sengeis. On the one hand, this is because the rail network has already been expanded and the trains need to keep up with the changes; on the other hand, this gives the passengers the chance to benefit from state-of-the-art technology – and not only during major sporting events.

Enhanced ride comfort thanks to new double-convoluted air spring system

"With the new double-convoluted air spring system, the trains will be both quieter and have lower vibration levels," says Sengeis. This will significantly enhance ride comfort because the background noise made by people in the carriages during peak times alone is extremely high, especially during events like the Boston Marathon. And when there are other sources of noise such as the trains themselves, then this only increases the stress factor. Quieter vehicles will help to reduce this. In the future, athletes will be able to relax on the train before and after the big race, and the spectators lining the route will also be able to travel across the city comfortably and move back and forth between the different venues stress-free. And the same applies to ordinary commuters when there are no major events.

But that's not all: The new systems for the Boston metro are also much more efficient. Sengeis explains how Continental did it: "Thanks to our international expertise, we have excellent knowledge of the American market and can use this knowhow to serve and adapt ourselves in line with the local norms and standards." This also includes manufacturing the air springs locally in the U.S.A.

It will be almost a year before passengers will actually feel the benefits of this and everyone will be working flat out until then. Continental will trial the systems extensively to ensure that they offer the best possible comfort. In the meantime, there will still be enough time for the athletes to get fit for the next race – after which they can relax on the metro.

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SOURCE Continental