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Transforming Freight Train Efficiency: VTG Adopts Automated Brake Testing from PJM

Transforming Freight Train Efficiency: VTG Adopts Automated Brake Testing from PJM
photo: PJ Monitoring/Transforming Freight Train Efficiency: VTG Adopts Automated Brake Testing from PJM
24 / 10 / 2023

VTG, Europe's leading private operator of freight wagons, will offer the automatic brake testing system from PJ Monitoring GmbH (PJM) as a project-related equipment option. VTG is thus consistently pursuing its digitalization strategy to achieve further increases in efficiency in the handling of freight trains.

Automatic brake testing is a crucial factor in the preparation of freight trains, as it is obligatory to check the brakes each time a change is made to the wagon configuration or the wagon is stationary for more than 24 hours. Hence, the potential savings for railway companies in this time-consuming process are high, both in terms of human labor and costs. With the automated system, the efficiency gain is enormous: for a 500 m long goods train, the manual check of the brakes requires around 40 minutes and two employees. In contrast to this, the automatic brake test is carried out by just one person in less than 5 minutes, which significantly minimizes the downtime of freight trains with train drivers and locomotives.

Since 2017, the technology developed by PJM and SBB Cargo has been successfully tested in pilot freight trains. Based on this extensive testing, VTG will make this system available as an equipment option. The expansion of the equipment portfolio with the automatic brake test system supports the integration of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) and represents another important step in the digitalization strategy of both companies.

Source: VTG

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