Voith supplies digital automatic couplers for first German DAC train

The future of rail freight transport is beginning at Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn (WLE): the company has been operating the first pairs of wagons with digital automatic couplers (DAC) in commercial service since March 2025. The European pilot project DAC4EU has now commissioned coupler manufacturer Voith to supply a further 30 CargoFlex freight couplers and two CargoFlex hybrid couplers. As part of this pioneering reference project, a further 13 freight wagons and one locomotive are to be equipped with Voith DAC by the end of the year. The aim of the DAC4EU project is to demonstrate, test and approve the DAC for rail freight transport.

The couplers can be uncoupled manually via an uncoupling device on the wagon side. They offer continuous power and data supply between the wagons via the additionally supplied e-couplers. This will enable future train functions such as the automatic brake test, which was developed in cooperation with the Austrian company PJM. Further functions, including automatic detection of train length, wagon sequence and train integrity, are planned for later operation. The first four couplers have already been delivered, with the rest to follow successively by fall 2025.

WLE operates its own rail network of around 120 kilometers and transports around 1.4 million tons of goods annually, mainly limestone and cement. With the newly equipped train, the company is using DAK in commercial freight transport within the EU for the first time.

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