DB Cargo is working with Bosch to digitise and automate rail freight transport, particularly the shunting locomotives that are required for processes such as trains being taken apart, wagons being sorted, and new trains being put together.
The automation technology which is facilitating these movement is being developed and made ready for series production with Bosch Engineering GmbH and ITK Engineering GmbH as industrial partners.
The first steps towards introducing the fully automated locomotive have already been taken, with the successful trial of a prototype at the Munich North marshalling yard.
It is expected that the fully automated hump locomotive will be granted approval by the German Federal Railway Authority at the end of 2027, and from 2028 onwards, it will be deployed at DB Cargo’s main formation yards in Germany.
DB Cargo has commissioned Bosch Engineering GmbH and ITK Engineering GmbH, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Robert Bosch GmbH, with the development of the fully automated hump locomotive for series production.
Bosch Engineering is working on an automation unit, featuring sensors and algorithms for environment perception, that will allow shunting operations to be completely autonomous. ITK is developing the operator workstation for line-side use, which will handle the input and management of required movements and transmit the information to the hump locomotive. The partnership is set to continue until October 2027.
Dr Sigrid Nikutta, member of the management board for freight transport at Deutsche Bahn AG and chair of the management board and CEO of DB Cargo AG: “With the development of the fully automated hump locomotive, we are embarking upon a new chapter in the digitalisation and automation of rail freight transport.
“This will create more profitability for DB Cargo and higher quality in operations, thus contributing fittingly to the DB Group’s S3 turnaround programme. Our customers will benefit from faster and more flexible handling of their consignments.”
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