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CORDIS

Europe’s Rail Flagship Project 5 - Transforming Europe’s Rail Freight

Project description

Fully digital and seamless freight operations transform Europe’s rail freight

As per the European Green Deal, rail freight transport is responding to the ever-increasing demand for sustainable goods transportation. This sector is forecast to grow 30 % by 2030, which means enhancing rail freight using new technology has become increasingly important in combatting lack of network capacity and productivity. The EU-funded FP5 - TRANS4M-R project unites 71 partners, ranging from end users to industrial operators, suppliers, wagon keepers, SMEs, academia and research. They will develop two new technology concepts, the “Full Digital Freight Train Operation” with digital automatic coupling as an enabler and the “Seamless Freight Operation,” to establish the rail freight sector as the backbone of a low-emission, resilient logistics chain in Europe and lay the foundation for one single EU rail freight technology framework.

Objective

The rail freight sector is facing a multitude of challenges such as lack of network capacity and productivity. Manual processes still entail worker’s safety risks. Rail must adopt the emerging digital technologies to meet the customer needs. FP5-TRANS4M-R brings together 71 partners from end-users, large industry, railway undertakings – operators and wagon keepers, SMEs, academia and research, delivering on the rail freight sector’s commitment to increase of the modal split share to 50% by 2030 revoking the causality between economic growth in Europe and pollution as well as congestions, positively impacting Europe’s citizens quality of life.
FP5-TRANS4M-R’s overall goal is to establish rail freight as backbone of the lowest emission and most resilient logistics chain in Europe fulfilling the end customer requirements to their full satisfaction. Two technology clusters “Full Digital Freight Train Operation (FDFTO)” and “Seamless Freight Operation” will develop, validate and demonstrate the FP5-TRANS4M-R technologies following an integrated systemic approach across the sector, in a competitive manner
- as only then the expected automation benefits can be fully realised. Integrating DAC-enabled solutions at non- arguable interoperability with software defined systems and digital rail services will lead to increased capacity, higher throughput and shorter transportation duration. It will strengthen the cross-border coordination and cooperation between rail infrastructure managers and finally deliver optimised overall management of the rail network. FP5-TRANS4M-R's credo is: seamless, integrated, interoperable, validated and EU-wide authorised solutions, to achieve a single EU rail freight technology framework with strictly managed interfaces for an effective system integration and seamless operation across countries, actors and modes. These objectives set the foundation, frame, and ambition for the project with an impact on the overall transport and logistics sector in EU.

Coordinator

DEUTSCHE BAHN AG
Net EU contribution
€ 433 888,46
Address
POTSDAMER PLATZ 2
10785 Berlin
Germany

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Region
Berlin Berlin Berlin
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost
No data

Participants (69)

Partners (5)