automated rail freight - Page 2

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

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

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

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

Austrian Mobility Award 2023 for PJM

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

Automated load monitoring system for DB Cargo

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