ATLANTA (October 7, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) will host the Atlanta Hydrail Technology Forum on Oct. 21. This event will familiarize the Atlanta public, media, government and business communities with hydrail technology, a new wireless form of electric railway transit. Additionally, the forum will highlight the economic and environmental benefits Germany predicts through adoption of this technology and how the United States can also benefit.

Hydrail vehicles carry electric power onboard in the form of hydrogen gas and need only a pair of rails; no overhead wiring or supports, no substations, no power distribution plant. Unlike external electrification, hydrail does not entail electrical interference or corrosion problems with utilities buried under or near the tracks. Currently, China, Dubai and Aruba have hydrail trams and streetcars in service, and Germany will deploy a fleet of forty hydrail commuter trains between 2016 and 2020.

The forum’s featured speaker will be Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter of Warwick University, who received the first doctorate in hydrail technology in 2013 from the University of Birmingham (UK). The forum will also feature Stan Thompson, of the Mooresville Hydrail Initiative, who will discuss how a small town chamber of commerce environmental project in North Carolina became a sustainable infrastructure innovation in Europe. Peter Crofton, a partner in SGR’s construction practice, will also serve as a panelist.