SHIFT2RAIL JOINT UNDERTAKING: Digital Automatic Coupling: the backbone for full digital rail freight operations in Europe

The challenge for Europe’s rail freight transport
The automation of freight trains has hardly changed for decades. Employees still need to manually couple trains, walking the length of the train so that each individual wagon can be connected and checked. DB Cargo, Europe’s largest rail freight operator, estimates that its staff carry out the coupling process 54,000 times every day and walk around 700,000 km a year during train formation.

Little progress has been made in the other areas of automation of freight train operations as well. The preparation of a train prior to departure is still a largely manual process. Besides the mechanical coupling of locomotive and freight wagons, brake air hoses need to be connected. The checking of the wagon order, the test of the brakes and the calculation of the train’s braking weight and performance are still done mainly manually. The technical condition of the freight wagons is inspected by operating staff as part of a technical wagon inspection. Finally, even the sign at the end of the train has to be attached manually.

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Find the right combination of solutions poses a great challenge to many engineers, such as in the development of a train. Legislative restrictions, the technical standards, mechanical and electrical requirements and your demands, in terms of design, size, efficiency, cost, etc., are just some of the many considerations required in order to develop the optimum solution for you.

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SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Mohamed Mezghani - UITP Secretary General

As the only worldwide network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all sustainable transport modes, UITP and their global membership knows what direction the sector is going in.

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
Dealing with the unexpected

As public transport services become increasingly customer-focused (the name change from ‘passengers’ says it all), what helps an operator really stand out and strengthen or weaken their brand is how they respond to the unexpected. In such cases, an efficient incident and crisis management solution is a means of helping them maximise service continuity and deliver journey experiences that ensure customers come back for more – and tell others to do the same.