General - Page 3

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

New at PJM: Approval management provided by PJ Motion

We are happy about the new team joining our group! PJ Motion GmbH with its experienced specialists is the new contact point for approval management of track-bound vehicles. Now PJM is able to provide comprehensive know-how in terms of the entire approval process, starting with approval management to testing, conformity assessment and vehicle approval.

But who is the team of PJM’s new business field? 4 experienced specialists with concentrated know-how:

Thomas Hofer, managing director and specialist for risk management processes, safety method and functional safety
Markus Fankhauser, specialist for verification in the area of TSI (NoBo) and national regulations (DeBo)
Lorenz Kochan, specialist for project and risk management, configurations- and quality management
Joachim Wagner, certified senior project manager (level B according to IPMA), sales and corporate development

PJ Motion’s portfolio in a nutshell:

Project management
Approval management
Requirement– and verification management (CSM / EN 50126)
Quality control of certification in preparation of conformity evaluation
Common safety methods – risk assessment (CSM RA)
Safety analysis
RAM analysis
LCC analysis

PJ Motion media release

PJ Motion Website

General / Waggon Tracker - 10/09/2023

Austrian Mobility Award 2023 for PJM

Europe's smartest goods train is Austria's best digital project and won the Austrian Mobility Award of VCÖ.

Digitalisation is a catchphrase, but in rail transport it is the game changer for improving the competitive situation and cost structure. The pilot train of Mercitalia Intermodal Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane shows that digital technologies are no longer a vision but already part of everyday life on the rails. Getting more freight transport onto the rails is central to achieving the climate targets. To achieve this, it is also important that rail freight transport becomes more efficient. One solution is to speed up processes through increased digitalisation, as demonstrated by the "Digital Rail Transport" project of the Graz-based company PJ Monitoring. A pilot train was fully digitally equipped, from automated brake testing to ongoing monitoring. This results in shorter turnaround times and faster delivery times, reduces wear and tear and thus maintenance work, and the monitoring gives the workshop information on the problem in advance, which in turn speeds up repairs. VCÖ Managing Director Ulla Rasmussen, Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler, ÖBB-Personenverkehr Board Member Sabine Stock and Michael Braun from Siemens Mobility Austria presented the award to Günter Petschnig and Christoph Lorenzutti from PJ Monitoring.

Michael Braun from Siemens Mobility Austria congratulates the winners: "Digitalisation solutions are the key to more sustainability and environmental protection in mobility. With innovative ideas, transport becomes more efficient, more powerful and, above all, more climate-friendly."

"Freight transport is crucial for achieving the climate targets. In the future, more rail transport must be realised with fewer personnel and wagon material. The necessary increase in performance can only succeed with automation and digitalisation. The digital transformation of rail freight transport can therefore only succeed step by step. Hence it is important to use existing and future-proof technologies now in order to benefit from the many advantages today," says Günter Petschnig from PJM.

Credit: VCÖ - Mobilität mit Zukunft/APA-Fotoservice/Rudolph
Fotograf/in: Roland Rudolph

General / Waggon Tracker - 09/28/2023

Technical lecture at the "48th Modern Rail Vehicles Conference"

The renowned symposium takes place every second year in Graz and is organised by the Institute for Railway Engineering and Transport Economics at Graz University of Technology. PJM will present a best practice model on the topic of "Automation and digital condition monitoring in freight transport" as part of a technical lecture. The focus will not only be on the technical implementation of a digital intermodal train, but also on the many benefits for the operator.

Further information on the expert congress

Railway station of freight trains from a height at sunset

General / Waggon Tracker - 09/12/2023

Automated load monitoring system for DB Cargo

DB Cargo optimises the loading process of bulk cargo and equips 100 EAOS wagons with PJM's automatic load weight monitoring system. The WaggonTracker Load Monitoring System determines and displays relevant data in real time, in particular weight, overload, asymmetric loading and free capacity. Optionally, the loads on wheel discs, wheelsets and bogies can also be determined. The real-time results are displayed in the web portal or - depending on customer specifications – the results are visualised directly on the wagon by means of signal lamps. In the DB Cargo application, the automated system fulfils several parameters:

Control of the weighing data provided by customers
Avoiding of overloading
Avoiding time-consuming weighing carried out manually
Best possible utilisation and optimal utilisation of transports
Increased safety, as overloading of individual components is excluded

"Automatic load weight monitoring does optimise operations. By using sensors in future, the automated process will reduce the time required by determining the load weight, including its distribution," says Michael Wolkow, Head of Procurement, Equipment and Technology at DB Cargo AG.

Get more in the media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 09/05/2023

Analyst Certification of the American AAR WABL Committee for PJM strength calculations

PJM now also offers wheelset expertise for the leading rail freight country, the USA. The AAR WABL Committee (Association of American Railroads) has voted to approve PJM for performing strength calculations of wheels according to the S-660 and S-669 standards. This new area of expertise is also already in use on a project. "We are very pleased that we can now also offer our customers this consultancy service for the use of rail vehicles in North America," explains Martin Joch.

In the field of wheelsets, PJM has built up profound know-how over the years. Here, too, the link between calculation and testing plays a major role. The expertise includes calculations as well as the design of instrumented wheelsets.

Get the full media release

General - 09/01/2023

PJM at Railway Forum Berlin: presentation & Styrian event

The Railway Forum Berlin is Europe’s leading management conference of the railway industry. The industry get-together is taking place for the 8th time. This year, PJM will again present technological innovations in digital rail freight transport. There are several opportunities for you to see our digital solution around the WaggonTracker system live in Berlin:

Visit us at the joint ACStyria stand, stand C 10.
Short lecture by CEO Günter Petschnig: "Automation and digitalisation in intermodal transport", Thursday, 7 September, at 11.00 a.m. on the Exhibition Stage
Styria Coffee-Break: networking meeting with coffee and wine from the region, Wednesday, 6 September, 12:50, also at the ACStyria joint stand, stand C 10

Railway Forum Berlin, 6 - 7 September 2023

We look forward to your visit!

Invitation Styrian coffee break & wine taste: https://pjm.co.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ACStyria-Berlin-2023-Web-neu_b.pdf

General / Waggon Tracker - 08/21/2023

Testing the fatigue strength of a container freight wagon at MFL

The fatigue strength tests are used to check that the rail vehicle can withstand the operational loads. There are different test methods for determining the operational strength, such as static tests or impact tests. An important part of this is the pressure frame test, in which the vehicle frame is subjected to loads in an empty and loaded state. The mobile compression frame has proved particularly effective in this respect. With PJM's own development, it is possible to carry out the tests directly at the manufacturer's premises and to use the infrastructure on site or in the vicinity. This was recently the case at Maschinenfabrik Liezen, which offers a perfect infrastructure. For an Italian wagon manufacturer, fatigue tests according to EN 12663 were carried out with the mobile pressure frame.

Short video on the tests: https://youtu.be/qoLnUP4iJEk

General - 08/08/2023

Millimetre work: measuring application for a turbine impeller

Accuracy is a prerequisite of measurement technology. Precision work is required to obtain reliable and exact measurement results. Our laboratory team is highly experienced in millimetre work. This was also the case with a measurement application for a turbine impeller. Ten strain gauge measuring channels were applied to the special aluminium-bronze surface, and calibration was also carried out in-house. Another requirement of the customer, a global supplier of electromechanical systems and services for hydropower plants, was to make the entire measuring application waterproof.

PJM's measurement know-how is not only in demand in the railway industry. Time and again, PJM also carries out measurements of stresses and loads on special machines, such as for metal shredders from UNTHA.

General / News - 07/20/2023