The advent and rise of low-cost, high-frequency short-haul flights in Europe increasingly necessitates the need of more sustainable travel methods for trips with a distance under 1000 km. Many different proposals and policies have been put in place, including full flight bans for trips under 500 km, but the research space still has not embraced a possible co-existence of major air and ground transport options in this segment.

This research addresses this by developing a reproducible method using openly accessible data to assess air and rail network capacities of three of the busiest air transport routes in Europe. A capacity analysis is conducted and the modelling of travel time, travel cost, change in carbon dioxide emissions and passenger experience is performed, in order to investigate the feasibility and logistics of shifting passengers between air and rail.

The study finds that 30-50% of passengers could shift completely to trains, given sufficient rail network capacity, significantly reducing total carbon dioxide emissions and improving passenger experience throughout.

Drones have been an emerging trend in the last few years. They are used in multiple industries already, from photography and videography to racing. More use cases are now being conceived, such as using drones to deliver packages and food to people at home, using drones for inspections, or even using them as rescue searching vehicles in hostile environments. Even more possibilities open up once the drones bundle their forces to create swarms. The lifting capabilities of drones are still somewhat limited, but in a swarm they might be able to lift heavy payloads. This report covers the design of a concept of a payload carrying swarm, intended to lift cargo up to 500 kg to even the top of a tall building.