Knorr-Bremse wins European freight rail coupling contract

Rail technology manufacturer Knorr-Bremse has received an order from ÖBB Rail Cargo Group for Digital Automatic Couplings, ORF reports. The couplings are scheduled to enter regular service on European freight trains for the first time from 2028.

Freight wagons are still largely coupled manually. Under the EU funded PioDAC project, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group plans to equip a freight train with the new technology. Knorr-Bremse, which operates a facility in Mödling, will carry out the order.

The planned test train will consist of 23 freight wagons and one locomotive. The wagons will receive automatic couplings and electronic control units, as well as sensors to digitally monitor vehicle functions and condition.

The technology is intended to speed up the assembly and separation of freight trains. In future, wagons are expected to be coupled and uncoupled at the push of a button or by tablet. The companies also expect faster train formation, shorter preparation times before departure and more efficient operations at shunting yards, while reducing the physical strain on workers.

Knorr-Bremse said the technology would be introduced to the market gradually in the coming years. The company is targeting annual original equipment sales in the hundreds of millions of euros in Europe from train automation and digitalisation technologies. The project also aims to strengthen rail freight competitiveness and shift more traffic onto the railways.