Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FP5 – TRANS4M-R (Europe’s Rail Flagship Project 5 - Transforming Europe’s Rail Freight)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-07-01 do 2023-12-31
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. Therefore, the project builds upon the goals and vision of the European Commission addressing the needs to significantly boost the rail freight transport through increased capacity, strengthened cross-border coordination and cooperation between rail infrastructure managers, better overall management of the rail network, and the deployment of new technologies such as digital coupling and automation. These goals set the foundation, frame, and ambition for the project.
Objective 1: Higher throughput and shorter transportation duration
Develop, validate, and demonstrate the FP5-TRANS4M-R technologies and thereby enabled train functions and operational procedures leading to:
- at least 40% decrease of train formation/decomposition time,
- train preparation time of at least 45%, while
- enabling freight train compositions up to 1500 meters
Objective 2: Maximize flexibility and reliability of rail freight services
Develop, validate, and demonstrate the FP5-TRANS4M-R digital rail freight services and software solutions significantly contributing to achieve in 2030 the MAWP objectives:
- Reduce average transportation time on reference corridor by 10-20%.
- Reduce operational dwell time at borders and other handover points by 50%.
- Reduce the number of additional operational stops (also limiting the energy consumption) by 20%.
- Reduce handling/response time for ad-hoc cross-border path requests by 70%.
- Reduce handling/response time for connected comprehensive intermodal offers by at least 50%.
- Reduced energy consumption and reduced footprint through less stops at borders by a minimum of 10%
Objective 3: Mitigating demographic change
With the demographic change not only the average age of employees is increasing but also less people are available for physically demanding work especially in yards, such as train preparation, coupling, uncoupling and further operational processes. FP5-TRANS4M-R provides the necessary technologies to automate/digitalise operational processes, but also instructions and guidelines to maximise the acceptance of the newly developed digital technologies.
Objective 1: Higher throughput and shorter transportation duration
Develop, validate, and demonstrate the FP5-TRANS4M-R technologies and thereby enabled train functions and operational procedures leading to:
- at least 40% decrease of train formation/decomposition time,
- train preparation time of at least 45%, while
- enabling freight train compositions up to 1500 meters
Objective 2: Maximize flexibility and reliability of rail freight services
Develop, validate, and demonstrate the FP5-TRANS4M-R digital rail freight services and software solutions significantly contributing to achieve in 2030 the MAWP objectives:
- Reduce average transportation time on reference corridor by 10-20%.
- Reduce operational dwell time at borders and other handover points by 50%.
- Reduce the number of additional operational stops (also limiting the energy consumption) by 20%.
- Reduce handling/response time for ad-hoc cross-border path requests by 70%.
- Reduce handling/response time for connected comprehensive intermodal offers by at least 50%.
- Reduced energy consumption and reduced footprint through less stops at borders by a minimum of 10%
Objective 3: Mitigating demographic change
With the demographic change not only the average age of employees is increasing but also less people are available for physically demanding work especially in yards, such as train preparation, coupling, uncoupling and further operational processes. FP5-TRANS4M-R provides the necessary technologies to automate/digitalise operational processes, but also instructions and guidelines to maximise the acceptance of the newly developed digital technologies.
Within its first period, FP5-TRANS4M-R already achieved good progress for the overall goal of developing the Full Digital Freight Train for Europe. The key activities were the basis for the DAC Level 4 and 5 as well as the establishment of the functional and technical specifications for seamless freight, matching market requirements and providing input for future development. The progress for the different work packages are:
WP1 oversaw the project coordination, ensuring interaction between clusters and alignment with EU-Rail. It also facilitated technical discussions, provided administrative support, and promoted project visibility through many dissemination activities. Within WP2 “Operational procedures, functional requirements and system architecture” the preliminary version of operational procedures as the basis for further developments have been developed. WP3 “FDFTO Train System Architecture and Specifications” aims to create a collaborative environment for defining the requirements of the FDFTO. It also involves designing a functional reference system architecture that integrates the functions of all technical enablers. Polarion was chosen as the central hub for FDFTO system engineering. The strategy of authorization as well as the overall safety plan came out of WP4 with the finalization of two deliverables. These deliverables are setting the basis for the future authorization. Within WP5 “Subsystem Specification and Validation Test Procedures” the respective specifications for the DAC up to level 5 as well as the train functions, power supply and yard management system have been developed. WP6 “Qualified Interoperable DAC Level 4”, is developing a common interoperable coupler. The results of the first RP have been integrated into the new CEN standard for DAC (NWI xxx) which will be in full review during 2024. The focus has been to create functional requirements which can be further innovated upon as far as possible. Main result was a proof of interoperability test with the outcome that functional requirements can be met. WP7 “Qualified Interoperable DAC Level 5” aims for full compatibility and EU-interoperability of DAC with higher automation as a DAC4. Focus in the first RP was the DAC 4 functional and interoperability test report as well as e-coupler assessment/decision. The DAC solution for Locomotives as well as special wagons like the T3000 will be developed within the scope of WP8 “Qualified Interoperable Locomotive-Hybrid Coupler and Wagon DAC for special wagons”. Developments of hybrid DAC of all DAC suppliers are ongoing. Communication between DAC supplier and Loco provider to clarify interface and installation details to fulfil the delivery obligations takes place. The main goal of WP9 is to develop an interoperable solution for the power system and communication system of the FDFTO-Train. In the first period the requirements for the overall system could be mostly finalized, laying the foundation for the detailed development. Train Functions such as train composition detection, automated brake tests, automatic coupling and uncoupling are included in the work of WP10. Due to delay on the input from WP5 and WP3, the status of the work package was set to hold until November 2023. WP11, which covers additional train functions, did not start within the first period. WP12 “Yard automation concepts and solutions” primarily focused on developing use cases, processes, requirements, and the basic architecture for the future yard processes. The overall testing of the developed solutions is coordinated by WP13 “Validation/Test Plan” and inter alia performed within WP14 “Train Test Lab”. A first version of the preliminary test concept could be finalized, and the train test lab opened in September 2023 with a public opening event. WP15, 16, 17, 18 are different Demo Train work packages. Two of them started within the first period, the TRV Demo train with a focus on tests in harsh winter conditions and the SBB Demo Train with a focus on DAC powerline plus and communication solutions, the rest will start later. To analyze the costs and benefits of the targeted solutions, WP19 is covering the CBA work for the project. WP 20 and 21 are demonstrator WPs (Hump yard and flat yard) for innovative yard solutions which will start later in the project. WP22 and 23 enable the introduction of innovative freight assets by developing concepts for energy efficiency, multimodality, and automation, leading to technical specifications, validation plans, and preliminary designs.
For the Seamless sub-project most of the work in the first period was covered by the WPs 24 and 25. The most notable outcome of the seamless part includes the compilation of all the specifications for the entire seamless cluster, detailed in Deliverable 25.1. All the development will now start within the dedicated work packages 26 to 30. For the next Period the project will finalize architecture and specifications of the DAC as well as it will start the development phase of the seamless cluster.
WP1 oversaw the project coordination, ensuring interaction between clusters and alignment with EU-Rail. It also facilitated technical discussions, provided administrative support, and promoted project visibility through many dissemination activities. Within WP2 “Operational procedures, functional requirements and system architecture” the preliminary version of operational procedures as the basis for further developments have been developed. WP3 “FDFTO Train System Architecture and Specifications” aims to create a collaborative environment for defining the requirements of the FDFTO. It also involves designing a functional reference system architecture that integrates the functions of all technical enablers. Polarion was chosen as the central hub for FDFTO system engineering. The strategy of authorization as well as the overall safety plan came out of WP4 with the finalization of two deliverables. These deliverables are setting the basis for the future authorization. Within WP5 “Subsystem Specification and Validation Test Procedures” the respective specifications for the DAC up to level 5 as well as the train functions, power supply and yard management system have been developed. WP6 “Qualified Interoperable DAC Level 4”, is developing a common interoperable coupler. The results of the first RP have been integrated into the new CEN standard for DAC (NWI xxx) which will be in full review during 2024. The focus has been to create functional requirements which can be further innovated upon as far as possible. Main result was a proof of interoperability test with the outcome that functional requirements can be met. WP7 “Qualified Interoperable DAC Level 5” aims for full compatibility and EU-interoperability of DAC with higher automation as a DAC4. Focus in the first RP was the DAC 4 functional and interoperability test report as well as e-coupler assessment/decision. The DAC solution for Locomotives as well as special wagons like the T3000 will be developed within the scope of WP8 “Qualified Interoperable Locomotive-Hybrid Coupler and Wagon DAC for special wagons”. Developments of hybrid DAC of all DAC suppliers are ongoing. Communication between DAC supplier and Loco provider to clarify interface and installation details to fulfil the delivery obligations takes place. The main goal of WP9 is to develop an interoperable solution for the power system and communication system of the FDFTO-Train. In the first period the requirements for the overall system could be mostly finalized, laying the foundation for the detailed development. Train Functions such as train composition detection, automated brake tests, automatic coupling and uncoupling are included in the work of WP10. Due to delay on the input from WP5 and WP3, the status of the work package was set to hold until November 2023. WP11, which covers additional train functions, did not start within the first period. WP12 “Yard automation concepts and solutions” primarily focused on developing use cases, processes, requirements, and the basic architecture for the future yard processes. The overall testing of the developed solutions is coordinated by WP13 “Validation/Test Plan” and inter alia performed within WP14 “Train Test Lab”. A first version of the preliminary test concept could be finalized, and the train test lab opened in September 2023 with a public opening event. WP15, 16, 17, 18 are different Demo Train work packages. Two of them started within the first period, the TRV Demo train with a focus on tests in harsh winter conditions and the SBB Demo Train with a focus on DAC powerline plus and communication solutions, the rest will start later. To analyze the costs and benefits of the targeted solutions, WP19 is covering the CBA work for the project. WP 20 and 21 are demonstrator WPs (Hump yard and flat yard) for innovative yard solutions which will start later in the project. WP22 and 23 enable the introduction of innovative freight assets by developing concepts for energy efficiency, multimodality, and automation, leading to technical specifications, validation plans, and preliminary designs.
For the Seamless sub-project most of the work in the first period was covered by the WPs 24 and 25. The most notable outcome of the seamless part includes the compilation of all the specifications for the entire seamless cluster, detailed in Deliverable 25.1. All the development will now start within the dedicated work packages 26 to 30. For the next Period the project will finalize architecture and specifications of the DAC as well as it will start the development phase of the seamless cluster.
Not applicable in the first Period of TRANS4M-R