photo: DAC4EU press materials/“DAC4EU demonstrator train” testing in Austria before going to Switzerland
Digital Automatic Coupling is a hot topic in the European railway industry these days and so there is a lot of eyes focused on testing this technology.
The prototypes of two Scharfenberg coupling designs from Voith and Dellner manufacturers are in Austria where they arrived from Germany and will continue to Switzerland afterwards.
Train from the consortium DAC4EU (Digital Automatic Coupling for Europe) started in Germany and February 2022 is a month that marks the first-time testing of the DAC prototypes in Austria. While all over the world automatic coupling (AC) has been used for decades or longer, Europe is an exception. Besides Europe the inefficient screw coupling is used only in North Korea and North Africa.
If testing of DAC is successful it could revolutionize rail freight transport into a faster, more efficient and safer business. It would also play a big role in achieving climate targets. Replacement of the traditional coupling used in Europe so far, screw coupling, should be done gradually till 2030.
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