digital rail freight transport

PJM at transport logistic 2025

From 2 - 5 June, transport logistic 2025 in Munich, the world's leading trade fair for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management, will be another industry highlight on the agenda. PJM will of course be there - with the WaggonTracker, the smart solution for digital freight transport, and specialist expertise in testing rail vehicles.

When the industry experts meet in Munich to discuss the mobility of tomorrow, PJM will be presenting its system solutions for the entire development, testing and approval process for rail vehicles.

With our digital overall system WaggonTracker, we provide on-site answers to the burning questions in the field of automation and digitalization in freight transport: How can we succeed in saving costs and being more competitive? How can safety be increased? The digital train functions such as real-time brake analysis and brake system monitoring, real-time kingpin monitoring, IDDS derailment diagnostics paired with real-time in-train communication (direct communication with the train driver), load weight monitoring and automatic brake testing create clear advantages that have already convinced numerous freight wagon rental companies and manufacturers, railway companies and rail logistics companies.

Do you have questions about the digital goods train or other topics such as authorisation, engineering or project management? The specialists from the PJM Group will be there for you at transport logistic 2025:

As an accredited test centre in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025, PJ Messtechnik GmbH carries out tests worldwide for the approval of rail vehicles and offers engineering expertise for the product development of structural railway components.
With its WaggonTracker system, PJ Monitoring GmbH is a technology leader in the automation and digitalization of rail freight transport.
PJ Motion GmbH specializes in authorization and project management in accordance with the 4th railway package for track-bound vehicles.
RCC Railway Competence and Certification GmbH is an accredited conformity assessment body in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 and ISO/IEC 17020 and specializes in certifications and safety assessments.

Visit us at stand B6.116 - we look forward to seeing you!

Tagesausflug in die Bayrische Hauptstadt München an einen sonnigen Sommertag - Bayern - Deutschland

3 countries, 3 stages, 1 mission: PJM showcases its expertise at top mobility events in the DACH region

Three countries, three stages, one mission: PJM showcases its expertise at top mobility events in the DACH region

Within just nine days, the PJM Group was represented at three specialist events relating to the mobility of the future - an impressive sign of the company's commitment and expertise in an increasingly changing sector. From Graz to Cologne to Basel, PJM presented its solutions and visions for efficient and sustainable rail transport - with an international audience and a strong industry presence.

Kick-off in Graz: Contact30 - Anniversary meets innovation

On 8 May, the event journey began at the ‘Contact30 Mobility Congress’ in Graz, the anniversary congress of the ACstyria mobility cluster, which celebrated its 30th anniversary. Around 700 guests from business, science and politics came together to discuss future mobility issues. PJM was part of the large exhibition with 86 companies of the ACstyria network and presented an impressive cross-section of its expertise in the field of rail systems. In addition, CEO Martin Joch of PJ Messtechnik GmbH joined a panel discussion and gave an outlook to future developments.

Digital focus in Cologne: The Rise of IoT & Big Data in Rail

The journey continued seamlessly to Cologne for the specialist conference ‘The Rise of IoT & Big Data in Rail’ on 14 and 15 May. Hundreds of visitors from all over Europe took part in the event, which was all about the digital transformation of the rail industry. The focus was on issues such as how to improve the ravailability of rail operations, increase efficiency, optimise capacity and significantly reduce maintenance costs. At its own stand, PJM presented its pioneering WaggonTracker solution, which enables real-time brake analysis and monitoring, trestle monitoring, derailment diagnostics (IDDS) paired with in-train communication, load weight monitoring and automatic brake testing, among other things.

Visions of the future in Basel: Bahn25

Just one day later, on 16 May, PJM was represented at the renowned ‘Bahn25 Congress’ in Basel - the international summit on the freight transport of the future. Megatrends, innovation steps and strategies for the rail freight transport of the future were discussed with international trade visitors. The focus: a panel discussion with Alexander Muhm (Head of Freight Transport SBB Cargo), Ansgar Brockmeyer (S&M Deputy Group CEO Stadler Rail Management AG) and CEO Günter Petschnig with insights and impulses for rail freight in the next decade.

Conclusion: A strong presence for a strong future

With this extraordinary series of events, the PJM Group has impressively demonstrated its role as a forward-looking player in the rail industry. Three countries, three platforms, one clear signal: PJM is actively shaping the future of rail transport - innovatively, internationally and with full energy.

And the journey continues ...

Full of impressions, PJM is already looking ahead to the next stop: tranport logistic 2025 in Munich, the world's leading trade fair for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management, is the next highlight on the agenda from 2 to 5 June. Experts from the industry will once again come together there to discuss the mobility of tomorrow. PJM will once again be there with fresh ideas, technological excellence and clear messages - ready to continue the dialogue and help shape the future of rail.

General / Waggon Tracker - 05/16/2025

Tatravagónka and PJM cooperate on digital train functions

Tatravagónka, the leading freight wagon manufacturer in Europe, is integrating PJM's digital freight train functions and automated applications into its equipment range. Hence, the efficiency-enhancing monitoring and automation features are now available ex works for wagon purchasers.

Due to its extensive wagon portfolio, the Slovakian manufacturer is the largest in Europe. Wagon types for the transport of all types of products are developed and manufactured in several plants in Slovakia, including tank and bulk goods wagons, flat wagons, intermodal wagons and steel coil transport wagons. In order to make the benefits of automation and digitalization available to the sector in an efficient way, Tatravagónka is now offering the functionalities of the overall digital system WaggonTracker. The monitoring features include real-time brake analysis and brake system monitoring, real-time kingpin monitoring, IDDS derailment diagnostics paired with real-time in-train communication (direct communication with the train driver), load weight monitoring and automatic brake testing. The majority of the functions are offered exclusively by PJM, the Automatic Brake Test is the European reference system, with broad support from railway undertakings and wagon keepers. The technical applications create a number of essential benefits: lower costs, higher availability of the goods train, faster train preparation and, above all, greater safety. By ordering ex works, the PJM system is optimally integrated into the freight wagons and delivered to the customer.

‘Tatravagónka and our overall digital system complement each other perfectly: as a leading manufacturer, Tatravagónka is constantly developing innovations and optimizations. Our monitoring system, automatic brake testing and load weight monitoring are unique functions that make rail transport safer and optimize it in terms of efficiency, availability and cost-effectiveness. For wagon keepers and railway undertakings, the step towards digital train functions and the associated benefits is very simple. Tatravagónka hands over the required equipment ex works,’ says Günter Petschnig, CEO of PJ Monitoring GmbH. ‘This partnership ensures that the rail freight transport sector receives an advanced, reliable and future-proof overall solution’, says Günter Petschnig

In addition to Tatravagónka, leading wagon hire companies also offer intelligent train functions from PJM in their equipment portfolio: VTG, TRANSWAGGON and GATX equip wagons with automatic brake testing, load weight monitoring or other monitoring functions according to customer requirements.

Check out further information in the press release

General / Waggon Tracker - 04/09/2025

Polo Logistica FS: 600 intermodal wagons to be upgraded with PJM's digital train functions

Mercitalia Intermodal, a company of Polo Logistica FS, and PJM have signed a new order on further fleet equipment with smart train functionalities. Specifically, approximately 600 intermodal wagons will be equipped with PJM’s overall digital WaggonTracker system as part of maintenance work.

In addition to general wagon monitoring (speed, running direction, geofencing, wheelset performance management, last signal, last movement, etc.), the functionalities also include real-time brake monitoring, real-time kingpin monitoring and IDDS derailment detection system. A local radio system within the train set ensures direct communication in real time between the wagons and the train driver. The in-train communication is based on an encrypted, secure connection and open interfaces. The WaggonTracker system is fully compatible with a future DAC system and can be expanded with customized applications thanks to the powerful power supply. The innovative strength of the overall digital system is evidenced by multiple awards, such as the State Prize for Digitalization.

The Italian wagon keeper has been focusing on the digitalization of its intermodal fleet for several years in order to achieve the optimum in rail logistics between the conflicting priorities of cost-effectiveness, availability and safety. The smart train functions are essential as they bring improvements on several levels. Train preparation is shortened, asset management and maintenance work are optimized thanks to a predictive maintenance strategy, reliability is increased, vehicle-friendly operation is made possible and short-term resulting in cost-intensive repair work is minimized. These economic optimizations are supplemented by an increase in safety.

Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics, said: “Innovation and digitalization are two of the enabling factors of our 2025-2029 strategic plan, which includes investments dedicated to digitalization, also thanks to innovative projects such as the smart train. We are constantly committed to adopting cutting-edge technologies to significantly reduce the environmental impact of logistics operations, while ensuring a high-quality service. The smart train is one of the projects that will allow Mercitalia Logistics to become a European logistics player, contributing to the evolution of global logistics”.

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 02/14/2025

PJM higlights 2024 in a video nutshell

We have packed our highlights of 2024 into a PJM review 2024. 1 year in 1 minute to look back on.

PJM_Jahresrueckblick_2024_v3_EN - frame at 0m2s-klein

General / Waggon Tracker - 12/27/2024

Styrian Future Conference 2024: PJM takes part as innovation award winner

Companies and scientific institutions from Styria are coming together this year under the motto of cooperation. The Future Day is a platform for new ideas, knowledge exchange and future-shaping projects. The “Future Day” is organized by SFG, the Province of Styria and JR.

PJM has been invited as a winner of the Innovation Award 2024 and will put the spotlight on its unique automatic brake test. It is the first and only approved system that automates a complex, manual process. The brake testing system is already in use at SBB Cargo and on board of several pilot trains in Europe.

Automated rail freight transport is crucial in order to become more attractive, competitive, faster and safer and to cushion the demographic-related shortage of skilled labor. The focus is also shifting to environmentally friendly rail transport in order to achieve the climate targets that have been set.

General / Waggon Tracker - 10/01/2024

Railway Gazette provides an in-depth article on smart train technology

The international railway magazine Railway Gazette analyses the digitalisation of goods trains in Europe and takes a detailed look at our smart goods train concept. Get the in-depth article on the development steps and benefits of intelligent freight trains.

Get the full article in July's issue of Railway Gazette

2024-08-07 08_28_51-RailwayGazette-Smart-Train-07-2024

General / Waggon Tracker - 08/07/2024

State Prize for Digitalisation 2023 for PJM

A railway project was honoured with the Austrian State Prize for Digitalisation 2023. The automatic brake testing system from PJM emerged as the winner in the ‘Digital Transformation and Innovation’ category. State Secretary Claudia Plakolm and Harald Kräuter, ORF Director of Technology and Innovation, presented the award to CEO Günter Petschnig and COO Christoph Lorenzutti from PJ Monitoring GmbH.

‘We are delighted to receive this award for two reasons. The fact that a rail project was honored underlines the importance of rail freight transport in an economic and climate policy context. 10 years of development work, high investments and perseverance have been rewarded. This is great recognition for our entire team,’ says Günter Petschnig. He adds: ‘SBB Cargo is a great development partner. Such complex projects can only be successfully completed if all project partners pull together. A big thank you for the commitment, the belief in the technology and the great collaboration.’

Short video on the automated brake test and its benefits

Press release

‘The quality of the projects awarded this year as part of the State Prize for Digitalisation is impressive. You can see how much innovative strength there is in Austria in this core area, which is crucial for a successful future. I am delighted that we have been able to bring some particularly outstanding ideas to the fore with today's awards. On behalf of ORF, I would like to congratulate all of the award winners,’ emphasised Harald Kräuter, ORF Director of Technology and Innovation.

The jury of experts evaluated the open-topic submissions according to a catalogue of criteria such as degree of innovation, quality of implementation, high usability, added value for users and market potential. The submission phase was organized by the FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency). The jury's statement: ‘The submission Digital Rail Transport - Automated Brake Test enables the digitalization of the previously manual inspection of brakes in rail transport using special sensor technology and remote evaluation via mobile operating devices. This reduces the manual effort and duration of the brake test. By automating this inspection process, the physical strain on staff and the time required for the inspection are reduced. This means that the rolling stock can be put back into service more quickly and enables rail transport capacities to be increased. This patented system has already been approved and is being used successfully by the SBB Cargo.’

PJM_Automatische_Bremsprobe_@SBBCargo-klein

‘The State Prize for Digitalisation shows that Austria is a strong location for digital innovations. We must continue to develop our qualities in a targeted manner and, above all, further strengthen digital skills throughout Austria. They are an important basis for successful digital transformation and innovative companies. I would like to congratulate all the award winners who are making new digital success stories possible for the whole of Austria and are attractive role models for other companies and institutions,’ said State Secretary for Digitalisation Claudia Plakolm.

‘Digitalisation is a decisive factor for growth and broad prosperity, which we must use in a targeted manner in Austria. Openness to technology is the indispensable basis for innovations that secure our competitiveness and thus our entire way of life. I am impressed by the achievements of the award winners and congratulate them warmly. Because they tackle and implement - that is the right spirit for the future,’ said a delighted Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

PJM_Staatspreis_Digitalisierung-007klein

General / Waggon Tracker - 05/15/2024

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

General / Waggon Tracker - 04/19/2024

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