EUROPE: Austrian company PJM has completed the technical development of an automated brake testing system which it envisaged could save up to 45 min when preparing a 500 m long freight train.
The system has been extensively tested on 200 SBB Cargo wagons, and approvals are expected to be finalised by the end of this year enabling regular operation.
‘Serial operation is imminent. The system is now available and brings immediate, concrete effects for railway companies and a general impact for rail freight transport by gaining attractiveness’, according to PJM CEO Günter Petschnig. ‘It is no longer a vision of the future, but a functioning system for rail transport here and now.’
The automated brake testing system has been developed by PJM, SBB Cargo and Rail Cargo Austria. It is in use with SBB Cargo, while Rail Cargo Group has equipped a prototype train and DB Cargo is also to carry out testing.
