Decarbonising transport is key to achieving Europe’s climate targets. While a sizable 25% of EU greenhouse gas emissions come from transport, rail stands out from the pack with a mere 0.5% share. This tiny proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, crowns trains as the most sustainable mode of transport.

But when you think of trains, cancellations and delays might come to mind. That’s partly due to maintenance as the overhead wires and components that keep most electric trains, trams and trolleybuses supplied with power are susceptible to faults with age.

While Europe might want to promote rail, “at the end of the day it is passengers who are choosing the mode of transportation,” says PANTOhealth co-founder and co-CEO Mina Kolagar. Therefore, targeting train reliability and punctuality, the Berlin-based tech startup believes, must be at the heart of realising Europe’s goal of moving towards rail.

PANTOhealth aims to optimise how Railways infrastructures trains are maintained; in turn cutting emissions, saving natural resources, and growing rail’s modest 8% share of European passenger mobility. With maintenance alone comprising nearly half of the overall operational costs rail fleets, according to McKinsey, the promise of more efficient train maintenance in unlocking Europe’s decarbonised future is clear.

Smarter infrastructure, healthier planet

“Safety and reliability are factors that rail operators think about from day one,” Kolagar reports. PANTOhealth aims to impact these factors using their predictive maintenance approach that combines real-time monitoring with AI.

Going further than other companies, which have installed sensors or cameras on top of trains, PANTOhealth uses simulation software in addition to hardware. According the Kolagar, the software “makes us powerful with an extra source of data which we could use to train some algorithms and simulate some scenarios that happen in reality”.

The startup’s technology takes a proactive approach to maintenance, reducing the challenge of identifying the cause of a problem, and boosting efficiency. AI is used to define the exact position of faults, and determine the reason for the fault, before predicting the best time to carry out maintenance. Additionally, PANTOhealth’s technology allows them to recommendations to maintenance teams to check predetermined locations and make small adjustments. “Our goal is to provide a proactive maintenance plan, like a suggestion guide,” explains Kolagar.

PANTOhealth’s innovations have won it a ‘Coup de Coeur’ prize from the European Railway Clusters Initiative (ERCI). Additionally, co-founder and co-CEO Mina Kolagar has been named in Germany’s Tagesspiegel newspaper as one of the 100 most important people in Berlin’s economy in 2023.

By making maintenance more efficient and effective, Mina says predictive maintenance solutions can increase rail infrastructure uptime by around 30%, with roughly 10% of accidents stemming from defected interaction between train and overhead wire systems alone. Crucially, that would mean a reduced risk of accidents and defects, and fewer delays and cancellations for passengers.

Predictive maintenance solutions are so pivotal to the health of railway systems that McKinsey has estimated that they reduce maintenance costs by up to 10% only by using condition monitoring methods, even reaching 25% when combined with predictions and other forms of maintenance. On top of that, by enhancing the contact quality between trains and the overhead lines, PANTOhealth anticipates an increased lifespan for key components.

In addition to pleasing impatient passengers, PANTOhealth´s contribution to more efficient and less expensive train maintenance, sees multiple positive knock-on effects on the horizon. For example, by increasing the lifespan of expensive rail infrastructure, there is less demand for raw materials like copper. In turn this lowers the demand for polluting and energy-intensive extraction of raw materials from the earth. In short: healthier, climate-smart infrastructure equals a healthier planet.

Innovation journey

With a PhD in Energy Systems from Iran’s Sharif University of Technology, Mina Kolagar’s academic background drove her approach to building PANTOhealth.

“I learned how to develop a system and get the optimum results, so I started to think about the business as a system,” she says of her methodical approach to networking and securing finance. She recently completed her doctorate while living in Germany where she and three other co-founders began developing PANTOhealth. Kolagar believes it was the combination her experience in energy and environment, and co-CEO Farzad Vesali skills in train engineering — that set them on their startup path.

“For us, the energy industry is similar to the rail industry in that it is highly regulated. Solving the problems related to energy efficiency and renewable energies requires some similar analytical skills,” reports Kolagar. However, with only one out of four co-founders, Morteza Nokhodian having previous experience launching a startup, there were still challenges to come.

In 2019, PANTOHealth created their conceptual model and presented it to a group of infrastructure managers. While the idea was well received, yet the sector was hesitant about using plastic materials on train roofs. “Despite this, they were supportive and provided us with a list of technical standards our device needed to meet. We and specifically our cofounder Amir Bashari who is responsible for product development had to work hard to redesign the entire system to comply with these standards. It took about a year, but eventually, we obtained their permission for a safe and standard device.” by Kolagar. Later, the team was rewarded when honoured with the ERCI award. Of the experience, Kolagar reflects, “despite the fact it is a challenge, the challenge itself is interesting”.

As a portfolio startup of EIT Urban Mobility, the investment manager Johannes Kirschner insisted that “We are very excited to support PANTOHealth as we believe in the positive impact of their technology and the immense market potential. In securing a substantial six-digit seed round at the end of 2023, PANTOhealth shows us right. The funding round was led by SCE Freiraum Ventures together with EIT Urban Mobility and a prominent group of Business Angels and industry experts. It marks a crucial step forward, enabling PANTOHealth to scale operations and contribute to shaping the future of rail in Europe, vital for meeting climate goals through innovation.”

As one of PANTOhealth’s investors, Kolagar says EIT Urban Mobility helped open doors for the startup, making important introductions to potential users in markets such as Spain. Now PANTOhealth is working with 10 partners across the EU, including in the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, and the startup’s home turf in Germany. “EIT Urban Mobility is one of our investors and we hope with their support we can be in contact with innovation managers in European cities,” explains Kolagar. With the new funding, PANTOhealth is ready to scale its operations significantly, marking a pivotal step in its mission to transform and enhance Europe’s rail future.

Global ambitions

Looking back at her startup journey of trying to break into a highly regulated sector with strict standards, Kolagar has no regrets. “Every day I wake up with the mindset that we need to be flexible to solve unexpected challenges. I believe we have a strong and reliable team. Without them, starting the day could be nerve wracking…sometimes we think about what if we had the chance to go back and start over, but I can definitely say we would choose the same way,” she says.

Kolagar aspires to go further, expanding PANTOhealth’s reach to trams. First up are Cologne and Leipzig, where the startup expects to see its tech deployed soon to improve the operation condition of existing tram’s lines in the cities. Beyond Europe, Kolagar is also keen to reach out to the global market, particularly India. When it comes to the future of urban mobility, she believes it’s about building things that meet the demands of both society and the environment. Kolagar explains, it’s all about “definite need.”.