RFID Trains

ITWorld: Efforts to introduce electronic-ticketing systems in Germany’s huge mass transit sector have moved forward with the successful testing of a smart card system that combines RFID (radio frequency identification).
T-Systems International GmbH, the IT services and infrastructure arm of German telco Deutsche Telekom AG, has developed an e-ticketing system in collaboration with the German Mass Transit Authority (VDV), which represents hundreds of regional bus and train companies in the country, said Frankfurt-based T-Systems in a statement on Thursday.
The system consists of several components: the so-called “VDV core application,” a semiconductor-based smart card equipped with a miniature antenna, RFID technology for retrieving data from the cards over the airwaves and sensor-based card readers.
The technology allows passengers to pass by a card reader without having to swipe or insert their cards into the device.
RFID hooks ride on German mass transit [ITWorld]