General - PJM EN

Nomination for the State Prize for Digitalisation

The most innovative digital projects and products were sought, evaluated and selected by a top-class jury according to a wide range of criteria. The submission phase took place together with the FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency). We are delighted that our project "Digital Rail Transport: Automatic Brake Test via Tablet" has been nominated. The decision on the State Prize Digitalisation 2023 will be made at the JOYN ORF 4GAMECHANGERS Festival 2024.

Watch live on TV or via Facebook:

14 May 2024 at 8.00 pm

Further (German) information on: https://www.digitalaustria.gv.at/WissensWert/Events-Digital-Austria/Staatspreis-Digitalisierung.html

Innovation Award for automated brake testing system

The brake testing system is the best digital project and was honoured with the Innovation Award 2024. The coveted award was presented by Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, member of the Styrian government, and Christoph Ludwig, Managing Director of SFG.

Renowned jury members, including Sabine Hertlitschka from Infineon Technologies and representatives from institutions such as the Austrian Patent Office, the Institute of Industrial Science and AWS, determined the most outstanding projects in the categories of sustainability and digitalization in a two-stage selection process. The assessment criteria included innovation content, overall economic effect and market opportunities.

The award was combined with a personal visit from the Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs, who not only showed great interest in the automatic brake test, but was also impressed by the entire PJM service portfolio, the headqaurters and the technical equipment. Provincial Councillor Eibinger-Miedl warmly congratulated and emphasised: "Mobility in particular is a field of strength in Styria and PJM is one of the innovation companies." Günter Petschnig was delighted with the award. "We have a great team and a great network with our partners such as SBB Cargo. We have had massive investments for developing the automatic brake test and further innovations, and we keep drive forward new technologies. The award is a great pleasure for us!"

Photos: With courtesy of SFG / Oliver Wolf

General / Waggon Tracker - 03/25/2024

TRANSWAGGON includes automatic brake testing and digital monitoring as equipment option

Together with PJM, the TRANSWAGGON Group is making a key contribution to the automation and digitalization of rail freight transport in Europe. Wagon rental customers save time and increase safety in operation by equipping their wagons with automatic brake testing. Many other digital monitoring features are available for TRANSWAGGON customers. In addition, the energy self-sufficient and powerful WaggonTracker system can be expanded with customer-specific systems. The integration of automatic brake testing and monitoring functions into the TRANSWAGGON Group's equipment portfolio is a logical step.

"The automatic brake test saves time and increases safety during operation. It eliminates the need for a time-consuming walk around the entire train. Train preparation can therefore be carried out more quickly and safely," says Bertram Wieloch, CTO and member of the TRANSWAGGON Group's Executive Board.

This is not the first cooperation between the TRANSWAGGON Group and the Austrian system specialist PJM. In the past, around 500 wagons were equipped with the so called LoadMonitor, an automatic load weight monitoring system, on behalf of Mercer Holz. The system analyses the load weight during the loading process and visually indicates the maximum load capacity. Since then, one of Europe's largest timber logistics companies has benefited from a better capacity utilization, avoids overloading thanks to the precise data and appreciates completely paperless documentation.

Media release

Photo: With courtesy of TRANSWAGGON Group

General / Waggon Tracker - 03/20/2024

FS Logistics Business Unit continues fleet upgrade with PJM’s smart train portfolio

Combining transport efficiency with safety is an important requirement for Mercitalia Intermodal in daily intermodal transport. The Italian wagon operator has therefore been focusing on digital monitoring functionalities and automated processes for several years. The transformation of the existing fleet into Smart Train freight wagons is being systematically implemented. This year, at least another 180 wagons will be modernized, while around 200 wagons - mainly of the T3000 type - have been upgraded in the past two years. Mercitalia Intermodal began upgrading its freight wagon fleet back in 2017.

The benefits of the Smart Train functions are far-reaching: shorter delivery times thanks to automated processes in the track environment, predictive maintenance logic and condition-based maintenance models reduce costs while increasing reliability, efficiency and the general safety of rail transport.

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 02/16/2024

News around the world: PJM in the international railway press

Fancy a read? We have quite a choice of articles! In recent weeks, PJM has been the subject of reports on a wide variety of topics. We have put together a small selection.

Rail freight: Automated brake test on Swiss freight trains

Railvolution: SBB Cargo receives type approval für automatic brake test

Railway Pro: Nevomo engage PJ Motion

Railfreight China: Nevomo and PJ Motion

Railway International: PJM expands its services with PJ Motion

Business Newspaper on wooden desk with glasses and coffee cup, D

General / Waggon Tracker - 01/24/2024

1 year in 1 minute: The PJM review 2023

Our teams worked on 90 projects, we grew and fully automated a process for the first time in the history of rail transport. A short video portrait of our numerous activities this year.

General / Waggon Tracker - 12/20/2023

2nd award for the "Smart Train" from Mercitalia Intermodal

The smartest goods train in Europe has been honoured for the second time. Following the Austrian Mobility Award 2023, which was presented to Günter Petschnig and Christoph Lorenzutti in Vienna in September, Mercitalia Intermodal - Polo Logistica Group FS was honoured as "Logistico dell'Anno 2023" in Italy. The goods train is equipped with a wide range of monitoring and automation functions based on PJM's WaggonTracker system. Congratulations!

Details & all functions of Europes most intelligent goods train

Artikel Auszeichnung (in italienischer Sprache)

General / Waggon Tracker - 12/05/2023

The sensation in rail freight automation: BAV’s type approval for automatic brake testing

Now it's official: the automated brake testing system has been granted type approval by the Swiss “Federal Office of Transport” (Schweizer Bundesamt für Verkehr). Hence, the automated brake taste is the first approved system worldwide and the first far-reaching automated application in European rail transport. The system was developed with SBB Cargo and is a functionally safe application that has been trialled in various phases over several years. The project milestones in brief:

2017: First test trains
01/ 2022: Pilot train
03/2022: Positive review by TÜV Süd
11/2023: Operational approval by BAV

The automated application provides many benefits:

- Enormous time saving: for a 500 m long goods train, the time saved is around 75 minutes (35 minutes each for 2 shunters)

- Faster, more reliable and safer: the brake check can be carried out automatically by the train driver, is more reliable and increases safety (thanks to the consistent quality of the brake check and the system's objective evaluation criteria).

- Freight wagon downtimes are significantly reduced, while terminal turnaround times are increased.

- The implementation of an automatic brake test brings a concrete and - this is particularly important - immediate improvement for the railway companies.

- For the shunting staff and those responsible for brake testing, the automatic brake test means an improvement in the workplace situation. The interactive operation of a clearly displayed system replaces the strenuous, physically demanding manual inspection.

- The brake test is an essential part of the "1-person operation" that is gradually being implemented by railway companies such as SBB Cargo, particularly as a measure to manage the shortage of skilled labour resulting from demographic development.

Günter Petschnig, CEO of PJ Monitoring, looks back on several years of development: "It's a long way from the vision to the innovation of a completely new system. A major project of this size can only be successfully realised if the project partners work together step by step over several years. The teams at SBB Cargo and PJM have done a fantastic job. A big thank you to the stamina and commitment of everyone involved!"

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 11/30/2023

Video: Aerodynamic tests for new nightjet generation of ÖBB

The first journey of the new generation of ÖBB Nightjets is coming soon: from 10 December, the new Generation Viaggio Next Level night coaches will be in service in Austria and Germany. Rail passengers look forward to a wide range of comfort categories and technical innovations.

PJM was commissioned with the overall approval in cooperation with ÖBB. As an accredited test laboratory according to ISO/IEC 17025, the Austrian system specialist was in charge of the design and production of the measuring wheelsets as well as for the approval tests in the areas of running behavior, fatigue strength, acoustics and aerodynamics.

The aerodynamic vehicle tests were performed at speeds of over 200 km/h. In the course of these measurements, compliance with the permissible aerodynamic stresses was checked on the train platform, on the open track and in tunnels. The required boundary conditions in Austria can currently only be realised on the Westbahn line, which is why the test runs took place between Vienna and Linz.

Eco-friendly travelling comfort "Made in Austria"

Austria's railway expertise is reflected in the modern night trains. With the new Nightjets, ÖBB is expanding its role as market leader in the European night train business: Siemens Mobility was responsible for the development, the carriages were manufactured in Vienna and the bogies and wheelsets come from Graz. PJM carried out the approval tests and the measuring wheelsets were designed and manufactured in the headquarters of Graz.

Video of high speed test runs

PJM media release

Media release of ÖBB (in German language)

General / Presseberichte - 11/16/2023

VTG relies on automation of brake testing with PJM

VTG, Europe's leading private operator of freight wagons, will offer PJM's automatic brake testing system as a project-related equipment option. VTG is thus consistently pursuing its digitalisation strategy in order to achieve further increases in efficiency in the handling of freight trains.

Automatic brake testing is a crucial factor in the preparation of freight trains, as it is obligatory to check the brakes each time a change is made to the wagon configuration or the wagon is stationary for more than 24 hours. Hence, the potential savings for railway companies in this time-consuming process are high, both in terms of human labour and costs.

Since 2017, the technology developed by PJM and SBB Cargo has been successfully tested in pilot freight trains. Based on this extensive testing, VTG will make this system available as an equipment option. The expansion of the equipment portfolio with the automatic brake test system supports the integration of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) and represents another important step in the digitalisation strategy of both companies.

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 10/20/2023

Nomination for the State Prize for Digitalisation

Innovation Award for automated brake testing system

TRANSWAGGON includes automatic brake testing and digital monitoring as equipment option

FS Logistics Business Unit continues fleet upgrade with PJM’s smart train portfolio

News around the world: PJM in the international railway press

1 year in 1 minute: The PJM review 2023

2nd award for the "Smart Train" from Mercitalia Intermodal

The sensation in rail freight automation: BAV’s type approval for automatic brake testing

Video: Aerodynamic tests for new nightjet generation of ÖBB

VTG relies on automation of brake testing with PJM

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