Logistics Hub and DAC: The Innovation Revolutionizing Freight Rail Transport

FS Group, through its Logistics Hub subsidiaries, is coordinating the DEMO to be carried out in Italy using a train equipped with all the technologies of the TRANS4M-R project.

 

These technologies will enable extremely rapid processes for train composition, initialization, verification, and release from rail yards; partially or fully automated shunting operations; improved staff safety during train assembly and yard activities; as well as continuous vehicle monitoring during operation, enabling condition-based maintenance—and much more.

 

The project foresees DEMO trains in Austria and Italy in 2025, with the goal of full implementation by 2030.

 

The project and its potential were discussed on 4 October 2023 at Expo Ferroviaria, the international exhibition of railway technology, products, and systems, during the panel Digital Automatic Coupling: an opportunity to revolutionize European rail freight transport, organized by FS Group’s Logistics Hub and Wabtec Corporation.

 

The event included participants from infrastructure managers, logistics and transport operators, wagon owners, the rail industry, and institutional stakeholders, who shared the challenges and opportunities linked to DAC and the TRANS4M-R project.

 

The DAC (Digital Automatic Coupling) is a technological system that allows for the automatic and digital coupling and uncoupling of freight train wagons, ensuring mechanical, pneumatic, electrical/electronic, and digital connections across the trainset.

 

It is an innovation that could transform freight rail transport in Europe—making it safer, more efficient, sustainable, and competitive, in line with the European Green Deal objectives.

 

DAC lies at the core of the European TRANS4M-R project, funded by the Horizon Europe program through the Europe’s Rail partnership.

 

The project involves 71 partners across the European rail sector and includes an investment of around €95 million.

 

The overarching goal of TRANS4M-R is to define freight rail transport as the backbone of a low-emission, resilient European logistics chain that fully meets end-user needs.

 

To achieve this, the project will develop, validate, and demonstrate two technological clusters: Full Digital Freight Train Operation (FDFTO), which integrates DAC with digital railway software and services to ensure higher capacity, greater productivity, and faster transport; and Seamless Freight Operation, aimed at improving interoperability, safety, and service quality across the logistics chain.