ÖBB has become the first operator to sign a series contract for Digital Automatic Coupler equipment, ordering couplers from Knorr-Bremse to fit Pioneer Trains that will run in commercial service for two years from 2028 — the most concrete commitment yet in Europe's push to replace the screw coupling.

The contract was disclosed by Mark Topal Gökceli, CTO of Austria's ÖBB-Holding, at a high-level DAC demonstration event hosted by the Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking on September 23 at Havelländische Eisenbahn's yard on the outskirts of Spandau. Around 100 participants from across the European rail freight sector attended, with support from partners in the FP5-TRANS4M-R, FP5-DACtiVate, DACFit and FP5-Future4Freight projects.

What did the demonstration show?

The programme, moderated by Molley Williams of Deutsche Bahn and Hans Christian Hilse of Knorr-Bremse, opened with a side-by-side comparison of conventional screw coupling and automated coupling using two vehicles fitted with different suppliers' DAC units.

A second demonstration used one of HVLE's DAC-equipped EuroDual locomotives with a mixed rake of six wagons to show Train Composition Detection. The onboard unit contacted each vehicle in turn, collected identities, and established the train formation and the status of each vehicle. The system flagged that one wagon's Passenger/Goods brake changeover valve had been left in the 'P' position; once rectified manually, assembly continued.

With the train complete, the system ran an Automated Brake Test, applying and releasing the brakes and checking air pressure throughout the train, before the consist moved off down the yard.

The final demonstration covered remote uncoupling: the driver selected the coupling on a cab display and pressed a touch-screen button to split the train at the chosen point. The system automatically reconfigured the remaining wagons with the appropriate 'last vehicle' identification, letting the train portion move off quickly.

What did the industry leaders say?

EU-Rail Executive Director Giorgio Travaini stressed that DAC was 'not just about coupling' but about digitalisation of the entire rail freight sector. 'DAC is an enabler; it is not the end goal, but a platform for the future,' he said.

Eric von Breska, Director for Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport at DG Move, confirmed that 'for us in the Commission, rail freight is the backbone of our sustainable logistics network in Europe'. He pledged to 'work with the EU Agency for Railways to make this happen' and said the project could demonstrate that 'EU-Rail is here to stay'.

Maria Antonietta Zocco, Technical Director of Mercitalia Intermodal, called the demonstration 'a great step forward'. 'Today we are suffering from a big technology deficit compared with other modes,' she said. 'I cannot imagine a future without technology.'

Topal described the event as 'a great day' with 'a lot of progress', saying it was 'time to switch'. Asked whether DAC was the right answer and whether operators were committed, he replied: 'yes, and yes'. He acknowledged 'we still need to solve a lot of open points', including regulatory and funding issues, and argued DAC would shift rail freight costs 'from an opex model to a capex model' — investing in technology upfront to cut operating costs.

What happens before full migration?

Gilles Peterhans, Secretary General of private wagon owner association UIP, said DAC was 'one of two strategic priorities' for his members. 'We have lived for six years in a world of specifications and paperwork,' he said, calling the demonstration 'a bridge between innovation and reality'.

Peterhans said UIP had begun analysing the fleet to identify which vehicles are suitable for retrofitting and which should be converted first, and noted DAC could underpin wider digitalisation including Automated Shunting Operations. Both operators and wagon owners, he argued, will need financial support until conversion reaches critical mass.

Zocco cautioned that continued mixed operation of old and new technologies 'would not deliver the benefits'; full migration would be essential for 'financial equilibrium'.

While the Pioneer Trains run through 2028-30, ÖBB and other operators plan to quantify benefits, build the investment business case and lobby for the financial instruments needed for the transition — after which Topal hopes to see full migration 'as soon as possible'.

'We are opening the door to a new future for rail freight,' Zocco concluded.