DB Cargo: Digital Automatic Coupler Goes into Series Production

Almost half a million freight cars are rolling on Europe’s rails. They are still coupled manually and cannot establish power or continuous data connections. This is set to change: The EU-wide introduction of a Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) will significantly enhance the efficiency and performance of rail freight transport as a new system standard.

(Mainz) “A digital freight train has successfully completed its two-year practical tests,” explains Dr. Sigrid Nikutta during the presentation of the train before the EU Commission today in Brussels. “Now, first customers in rail freight transport are to benefit from the new technology. Our joint experiences will then flow into series production.” Only through the digitalization and automation of rail freight transport can more goods be shifted from road to rail.

“More than half of the transports in the steel industry are carried out by rail. Our member companies rely on efficient logistics for both the supply of raw materials and the shipping of finished steel products. The Digital Automatic Coupler can become a real turbo for rail freight transport – and thus an important building block for efficient, climate-friendly supply chains,” says Kerstin Maria Rippel, Managing Director of the Economic Association of Steel.

Together with other European freight railways

DB is committed to the development and EU-wide introduction of the DAC together with other European freight railways and numerous other stakeholders from the railway industry. The presentation of a digital freight train is a central item on the agenda at the “Connecting Europe Days” of the EU Commission in Brussels. Politics, railways, and industry are discussing this week the further development of European transport systems. A focus is on the expansion of the ten trans-European transport corridors and the strengthening of supply chains for the continent. In this context, the financing of the Digital Coupler as a new system standard is a key focus.

DB Cargo operates around 20,000 freight trains per week through 17 EU countries, with at least one border crossed in 60 percent of all journeys. Freight cars are coupled from Spain to Scandinavia using the nearly 200-year-old principle of a mechanical screw coupling. At DB Cargo alone, employees have to manually attach the 30-kilogram couplings to the iron hooks of the wagons up to 50,000 times a day.

Higher speeds possible

All rail customers benefit from the digitalization of freight trains: With the DAC and continuous power and data connections, significantly higher speeds are possible, among other things because brakes – as is already common with passenger trains – can be electronically controlled. Freight trains, whose speed is currently limited to 120 km/h, will be able to integrate much better into the schedule and pace of passenger traffic with the DAC in the future. This leads to increased capacity in the network.

Photo: © Deutsche Bahn