New rail technology in Eastern Russia
Russian Railways (RZD) is equipping locomotives in Eastern Russia with virtual coupling for synchronised freight train driving. With the new technology, the coordination of the locomotive driving modes takes place via a secure digital radio channel.
Currently, over 300 locomotives operating in Eastern Russia are already equipped with virtual coupling systems, but their number is scheduled to increase to 630 units by the end of the year, RZD said. More than 1,200 experimental trips have already been carried in trials out since October 2020. T
he trials have confirmed the possibility of passing freight trains at intervals of six-eight minutes. The next step in the development of technology will be operating in a "virtual coupling" mode of groups of up to five trains. (ben)