Digital automatic coupler news

DAC is intended to provide a physical automatic centre coupling between wagons and locomotives, with electrical and data connections to support a variety of digital functions. DAC is being widely hailed as a game changer that will boost the efficiency of rail freight and revitalise wagonload operations across Europe, and work is underway to finalise the standards and develop migration strategies.

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A Voith electrical connection has been selected as the standard design for freight trains equipped with Digital Automatic Couplers (Photo: FP5-TRANS4RM-R)

DAC programme agrees electrical coupler standard

2024-08-08T10:00:00+01:00

EUROPE: A Voith electrical connection has been selected as the standard design for freight trains equipped with Digital Automatic Couplers, and approved by the European DAC Delivery Programme Supervisory Board.

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Rail Logistics: Freight trains are getting smarter

2024-07-25T06:00:00+01:00

While the complex migration to operation using digital automatic couplers lies ahead, Europe’s freight trains are already being digitalised. Reinhard Christeller presents a snapshot of the benefits in safety, productivity and cost effectiveness.

Digital automatic coupler (Photo: DB Cargo)

Rail freight associations raise ‘serious concerns’ about digital automatic couplers

2024-07-09T11:00:00+01:00

EUROPE: ‘Serious concerns’ about the competitive, economic, technical and operational impact of deploying digital automatic couplers have been set out by associations representing private freight operators in central and eastern Europe. They say DAC offers numerous benefits, but ‘hasty and arbitrary solutions could further hamper the competitiveness of the rail ...

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Freight: ‘Nobody is writing us a cheque for €13bn’

2024-06-06T06:00:00+01:00

European policymakers and the larger rail freight operators are confident that the Digital Automatic Coupler programme can move from vision to reality by 2028. Nevertheless, significant financial and logistical barriers remain. Toma Bačić reports.

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Technology: Innovation must come faster

2023-11-22T05:00:00+00:00

Wheel-rail interaction and the need to accelerate the pace of innovation were hot topics at the 48th Conference on Modern Rolling Stock held in Graz on September 17-19. Reinhard Christeller reports.

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Comment: Green credentials on the line

2023-08-02T13:00:00+01:00

The European Commission’s Greening Freight proposals reiterate the EU’s commitment to growing rail’s share of the logistics chain, but they also set out the challenge the sector will face amid the complexity and cost of building new infrastructure, and as measures are adopted to aid the decarbonisation of competing modes.

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