DB Cargo has launched the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) system for customer use. This development follows two years of practical testing that demonstrated the system's ability to improve the efficiency and sustainability of rail freight. The initiative, which was presented to the EU Commission in Brussels, is part of a wider move to digitize and automate freight operations to facilitate the shift of freight from road to rail and support Europe's climate change goals.
The introduction of DAC aims to replace the manual and labor-intensive process of coupling freight wagons, which needs more ability to establish continuous power or data connections. This system promises significant improvements by enabling automatic coupling and continuous power and data lines, making rail freight transport more powerful and efficient.
"More than half of the steel industry's transport operations are carried out by rail. Our member companies rely on efficient logistics for both the supply of raw materials and the dispatch of finished steel products. The Digital Automatic Coupling can become a real turbo for rail freight transport - and thus an important building block for efficient, climate-friendly supply chains," commented Kerstin Maria Rippel, Managing Director of the German Steel Federation.
The collaborative effort to develop and deploy the DAC across Europe involves various stakeholders in the rail freight industry. The launch of the technology at the EU Commission's Connecting Europe Days underlines the ongoing dialogue to improve the continent's transport systems and the focus on sustainable supply chain solutions.
DB Cargo, which operates thousands of freight trains every week across several EU countries, highlights the potential of DAC to significantly modernize rail freight. The system aims not only to reduce the physical strain on workers but also to increase the operational speed and network capacity of freight trains, thereby helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
