THE e-coupler developed by Voith will be adopted as the standard in the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking project, FP5-TRANS4M-R, which is leading the development of the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) for European rail freight.
Voith’s solution was chosen following a competitive selection process that commenced in autumn 2023. Voith’s e-coupler and a design developed by its competitor and fellow manufacturer in FP5-TRANS4M-R, Knorr-Bremse, were extensively tested during the four-month programme.
The e-coupler is the DAC’s most crucial component, ensuring energy supply as well as data and transmission between wagons and locomotives to create a digital freight train. “The e-coupler is the component that really makes the DAC digital as it enables automation and digitalisation with software defined systems and digital rail services,” Europe’s Rail says.
Both e-couplers were tested in the FP5-TRANS4M-R train test lab, on the Swiss demonstrator DAC4EU train and on the manufacturers’ test benches. Conditions for the trials were determined by an operators’ expert group and agreed by the e-coupler manufacturers. The tests focused on technical aspects of the e-coupler, as well as acquisition and maintenance costs.
While the technical credentials of both designs were commended, cost assessment identified a slight advantage for Voith, leading the operator expert group to recommend the design, which was endorsed by the FP5-TRANS4M-R steering committee. The European DAC Delivery Programme has also endorsed the decision, with its supervisory board confirming its position this month.
Voith says its e-coupler meets all height and weight specifications and can be easily retrofitted, requiring just two screws. The manufacturer adds that the coupler is especially easy to maintain due to the low number of components used. “This always ensures a reliable power and data connection,” Voith says.
Voith’s e-coupler design will now form the basis for standardised interfaces that will be set out in the relevant Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) published by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).
