IF articles

Summary - The main objective of this paper is to perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis on the technical and economic feasibility of Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). This analysis is developed, first of all, through the definition of the European and Italian regulatory context, which defines the climatic and sector objectives to be achieved within certain deadlines, and of the characteristics related to DAC technology, both in mechanical and functional terms. This is followed by a technical and operational overview describing the current state of freight vehicles, in particular the limits to be overcome, as well as the studies inherent to the subject
of long and heavy freight trains and DAC technology itself. Consequently, the dynamics formulated by the European DAC Delivery Programme (EDDP) to promote the migration from the traditional hook to the automatic coupler are recalled. The paper then moves on to studies on line performance, including parameters relating to the infrastructure on which the train runs, and provides an overview of the costs associated with retrofitting such technology, also using multi-criteria analysis in the final phase. In terms of more general results, it turns out that DAC is a technology capable of tackling the problems that currently limit the performance of rail freight transport, solving most of them and leaving some still open. In addition, thanks to the advantages provided by the device, the use of this technology appears to be more appropriate on the large scale, although the small scale, represented by the diffused, single-wagon, traffic that is what set Germany in motion on this technological solution, is the one that obtains many more benefits.

https://www.medra.org/servlet/view?lang=it&doi=10.57597/IF.0708.2025.ART. 2