photo: PJM press materials/TÜV has approved homologation of PJM automatic brake testing
Technical Inspection Association (TÜV) has approved PJM's automatic brake testing solution without further conditions. PJM's development is thus the first system in Europe to meet all formal and technical criteria.
This automated brake testing system is an innovative development of SBB Cargo, PJM, and Rail Cargo Austria. Today, more than 200 SBB Cargo and 18 DB Cargo freight cars are using the system as part of the AmaBPro project, a part of the Future Rail Freight Transport program initiated by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
PJM CEO Günther Petschnig said that thanks to the modular concept, this system "can be connected to the future DAC with reasonable effort. Whichever European standard will be implemented in 2030, our system will be compatible. Thus, the urgently needed automated brake testing can be rolled out now and not just at the end of the decade."
The WaggonTracker digital system, which combines automated applications (brake testing, weight control, etc.) and monitoring functions, will be the basis for automated brake testing. The center of the system is a hub generator that facilitates the implementation of the application by autonomously supplying the railcars with more power. "In addition, the modular design of the system offers a simple, scalable digital solution that can be adapted exactly to the wagon-specific requirement. Today we have a functioning and reliable automated brake testing system, yet it is the platform for tomorrow's technical applications," explains Günter Petschnig and Martin Joch, CEO of PJM. Safety-critical data will be transmitted to the train driver while the train is in motion using intra-train communication.
Development of the product was completed in September 2021, after which it obtained homologation. SBB Cargo will start serial operation in the spring of 2022. By the end of testing, the brakes will have been performed 500 times and the brakes of all cars will have been tested 10,000 times. In total, the cars will have completed about 1,000,000 km to adapt the arbitrary processes to the system in training and information technology.
Among other things, PJM, together with Mercitalia Intermodal, will launch a pilot train equipped with a digital solution for intermodal transportation.