Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling

Gabriel Stephan Himmelbauer; Matthias Reichmann; Adrian Wagner; Herbert Wancura; Tobias Hasenleithner; Burkhard Stadlmann; Martin Egger; Jürgen Zajicek

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42

Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling

Gabriel Stephan Himmelbauer
, Matthias Reichmann
, Adrian Wagner
, Herbert Wancura
, Tobias Hasenleithner
, Burkhard Stadlmann
, Martin Egger
, Jürgen Zajicek

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

To combat climate change and to improve and diversify transportation across Europe, the EU has started initiatives to assist the railway industry in meeting its intended role in the modal split. The Shift2Rail and the European Rail Joint Undertaking initiatives both aim to drive innovation in the rail sector and to make transportation by train a more attractive alternative to trucks. One major innovation in the rail cargo sector is the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). It is set to replace the obsolete screw-couplers, which are currently used to connect freight wagons to each other, in order to improve the overall efficiency of cargo transportation by rail and to act as an enabler towards automation and digitalization.
However, while there are certainly benefits brought about with the DAC, there are challenges associated with it as well. The switch to an automatic coupling was attempted twice before in Europe, and it failed both times. Thus, a comprehensive strategy is necessary for this transition to be successful.
This paper aims to lay out the obvious benefits, the possible opportunities, and the upcoming challenges of updating European rail cargo transport to the 21st century.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin Ireland
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer
Pages	298-303
Number of pages	6
Edition	1
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-95284-5
ISBN (Print)	978-3-031-95286-9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42
Publication status	Published - Jan 2025
Event	TRA 2024 Transport Research Arena, Dublin - Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Duration: 15 Apr 2024 → 18 Apr 2024 https://traconference.eu/

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Mobility
Volume	Part F658
ISSN (Print)	2196-5544
ISSN (Electronic)	2196-5552

Conference

Conference	TRA 2024 Transport Research Arena, Dublin
Abbreviated title	TRA 2024
Country/Territory	Ireland
City	Dublin
Period	15.04.2024 → 18.04.2024
Internet address	https://traconference.eu/

Keywords

Rail
cargo
Digitalization
DAC
Coupling
Cargo

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Himmelbauer, G. S., Reichmann, M., Wagner, A., Wancura, H., Hasenleithner, T., Stadlmann, B., Egger, M., & Zajicek, J. (2025). Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling. In Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin Ireland (1 ed., pp. 298-303). (Lecture Notes in Mobility; Vol. Part F658). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42

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title = "Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling",

abstract = "To combat climate change and to improve and diversify transportation across Europe, the EU has started initiatives to assist the railway industry in meeting its intended role in the modal split. The Shift2Rail and the European Rail Joint Undertaking initiatives both aim to drive innovation in the rail sector and to make transportation by train a more attractive alternative to trucks. One major innovation in the rail cargo sector is the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). It is set to replace the obsolete screw-couplers, which are currently used to connect freight wagons to each other, in order to improve the overall efficiency of cargo transportation by rail and to act as an enabler towards automation and digitalization. However, while there are certainly benefits brought about with the DAC, there are challenges associated with it as well. The switch to an automatic coupling was attempted twice before in Europe, and it failed both times. Thus, a comprehensive strategy is necessary for this transition to be successful. This paper aims to lay out the obvious benefits, the possible opportunities, and the upcoming challenges of updating European rail cargo transport to the 21st century. ",

keywords = "Rail, cargo, Digitalization, DAC, Coupling, Cargo",

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Himmelbauer, GS, Reichmann, M, Wagner, A, Wancura, H, Hasenleithner, T , Stadlmann, B , Egger, M & Zajicek, J 2025, Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling. in Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin Ireland. 1 edn, Lecture Notes in Mobility, vol. Part F658, Springer, Cham, pp. 298-303, TRA 2024
Transport Research Arena, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, 15.04.2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42

Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling. / Himmelbauer, Gabriel Stephan; Reichmann, Matthias; Wagner, Adrian et al.
Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin Ireland. 1. ed. Cham: Springer, 2025. p. 298-303 (Lecture Notes in Mobility; Vol. Part F658).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling

AU - Himmelbauer, Gabriel Stephan

AU - Reichmann, Matthias

AU - Wagner, Adrian

AU - Wancura, Herbert

AU - Hasenleithner, Tobias

AU - Stadlmann, Burkhard

AU - Egger, Martin

AU - Zajicek, Jürgen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.

PY - 2025/1

Y1 - 2025/1

N2 - To combat climate change and to improve and diversify transportation across Europe, the EU has started initiatives to assist the railway industry in meeting its intended role in the modal split. The Shift2Rail and the European Rail Joint Undertaking initiatives both aim to drive innovation in the rail sector and to make transportation by train a more attractive alternative to trucks. One major innovation in the rail cargo sector is the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). It is set to replace the obsolete screw-couplers, which are currently used to connect freight wagons to each other, in order to improve the overall efficiency of cargo transportation by rail and to act as an enabler towards automation and digitalization. However, while there are certainly benefits brought about with the DAC, there are challenges associated with it as well. The switch to an automatic coupling was attempted twice before in Europe, and it failed both times. Thus, a comprehensive strategy is necessary for this transition to be successful. This paper aims to lay out the obvious benefits, the possible opportunities, and the upcoming challenges of updating European rail cargo transport to the 21st century.

AB - To combat climate change and to improve and diversify transportation across Europe, the EU has started initiatives to assist the railway industry in meeting its intended role in the modal split. The Shift2Rail and the European Rail Joint Undertaking initiatives both aim to drive innovation in the rail sector and to make transportation by train a more attractive alternative to trucks. One major innovation in the rail cargo sector is the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). It is set to replace the obsolete screw-couplers, which are currently used to connect freight wagons to each other, in order to improve the overall efficiency of cargo transportation by rail and to act as an enabler towards automation and digitalization. However, while there are certainly benefits brought about with the DAC, there are challenges associated with it as well. The switch to an automatic coupling was attempted twice before in Europe, and it failed both times. Thus, a comprehensive strategy is necessary for this transition to be successful. This paper aims to lay out the obvious benefits, the possible opportunities, and the upcoming challenges of updating European rail cargo transport to the 21st century.

KW - Rail

KW - cargo

KW - Digitalization

KW - DAC

KW - Coupling

KW - Cargo

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 978-3-031-95286-9

T3 - Lecture Notes in Mobility

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EP - 303

BT - Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility

PB - Springer

CY - Cham

T2 - TRA 2024<br/>Transport Research Arena, Dublin

Y2 - 15 April 2024 through 18 April 2024

ER -

Himmelbauer GS, Reichmann M, Wagner A, Wancura H, Hasenleithner T , Stadlmann B et al. Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling. In Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin Ireland. 1 ed. Cham: Springer. 2025. p. 298-303. (Lecture Notes in Mobility). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-95284-5_42

Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities of the Digital Automatic Coupling

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Cite this