The FP5-TRANS4M-R Steering Committee has adopted a decision on the selection of the future Europe-wide standard Electrical Coupler (E-Coupler) design for the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) for European rail freight transport end of February 2024. The decision has been endorsed by the European DAC Delivery Programme (EDDP) Programme Board in April 2024 and the EDDP Supervisory Board in July 2024.

The selection of a standard E-Coupler design marks a major milestone towards the interoperability of the DAC in Europe improving the overall performance of rail freight transport through increased capacity, higher throughput, and shorter transportation duration.

The E-Coupler is the crucial component of the DAC that ensures energy supply as well as data and communication solution in all wagons and locomotives of the Full Digital Freight Train (FDFT). The E-Coupler is the component that really makes the DAC digital as it enables automation and digitalization with software defined systems and digital rail services.

Thorough test campaign following a transparent selection process

This decision is the result of a transparent process that started in autumn 2023 with the definition of selection criteria by an operator’s expert group and agreed by the E-Coupler manufacturers. The criteria were focused on technical aspects on one hand and life-cycle costs on the other hand. In a thorough four-month test campaign the E-Couplers were tested in FP5-TRANS4M-R (Train Test Lab and Swiss Demonstrator Train), the DAC4EU train and the manufacturer’s test benches.

The testing campaigns concerned the prototypes for two different E-Coupler designs presented by the FP5-TRANS4M-R participating manufacturers J.M. Voith SE & Co. KG and Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH. Both designs achieved a high equal evaluation in their technical assessment which emphasizes the great innovative strength of the manufacturers in FP5-TRANS4M-R. The life-cycle cost assessment showed an advantage for the E-coupler design of J.M. Voith SE & Co. KG. Therefore, the operator’s expert group recommended this design and the FP5-TRANS4M-R Steering Commitee followed their recommendation.

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Photo: DAC and E-Coupler of Voith during testing session (Fabian Acker, FP5-TRANS4M-R)