VTG, the leading European private freight wagon operator, will provide an automatic brake testing system as an equipment option associated with the project, this is reported by the railway transport news portal, Railway Supply.

automatic brake testing system for PJM

In this way, VTG is consistently executing its digitization strategy to further enhance the efficiency of handling freight trains.

Enhancing Railroad Worker Safety

Automatic brake testing is a crucial factor in preparing freight trains, as brake checks are mandatory whenever the wagon configuration changes or when a wagon has been stationary for more than 24 hours.

As a result, the potential savings for railway companies in this labor-intensive process are high in terms of both human labor and costs.

Thanks to the automated system, the efficiency gain is substantial. Manual brake testing for a 500-meter freight train takes about 40 minutes and requires two workers.

In contrast, the automatic brake testing is typically performed by one person in less than 5 minutes, significantly reducing downtime for freight trains with engineers and locomotives.

Since 2017, the technology developed by PJM and SBB Cargo has been successfully tested on pilot freight trains.

Based on this extensive testing, VTG will make this system available as additional equipment.

Expanding the equipment portfolio with the automatic brake testing system supports the integration of Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) and represents another important step in the digitization strategy of both companies.

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