Thomas Freissler
Railway technology
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Thomas Freissler
Railway technology
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Imagine a shunting locomotive that moves fully automatically through the Munich North marshalling yard, dismantling freight trains, sorting railcars and assembling new trains – efficiently, precisely and completely autonomously. This vision is becoming a reality with DB Cargo’s innovative “Vollautomatische Rangierlok” (VAL) project, which is aimed at shifting more traffic to environmentally friendly rail transport.
While our sister company, Bosch Engineering, is driving forward locomotive automation, our team is providing the necessary foundation to ensure seamless operations behind the scenes with a tailored infrastructure component, thereby increasing efficiency in shunting operations. The fully automated hump locomotive is expected to receive regulatory approval at the end of 2027, with deployment throughout Germany at DB Cargo’s largest train formation facilities planned for 2028.
As part of this project, we are developing an infrastructure-side subsystem comprising computer units with software and a user-friendly operator workstation. The aim of this subsystem is to provide VAL operators with a simple way to enter and manage movement commands, display the position and status of fully automated locomotives and ensure communication with the locomotive. The project presents a significant challenge, not only requiring the development of complex software but also necessitating optimal integration of the solution into shunting operations.
Another key objective is to ensure that this subsystem, which includes both hardware and software components, is ready for regulatory approval. In addition, extensive operational testing is essential to validate the system’s functionality and reliability under real-world conditions. Compliance with relevant regulations and consideration of operational workflows pose additional challenges that must be addressed in the course of this project.
In this project, we are making targeted use of our extensive methodological expertise in safety-related system and software development. By employing a proven, standards-compliant development process, which is mapped within the Polarion ALM tool, we ensure an efficient and certifiable development of the subsystem up to Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2). Our in-depth understanding of railway systems and their associated operational workflows enables us to optimally adapt the infrastructure-side subsystem to the needs and requirements of our customers.
Automated trains are the future of rail transportation – and we are actively shaping this future. The trust that companies like DB Cargo place in our expertise confirms our passion and capabilities. Helping to shape the mobility of tomorrow motivates my team and me every day.
Thomas Freissler, Senior Manager Projects Rail, ITK Engineering GmbH
By developing this customized infrastructure-side subsystem, we are making a crucial contribution to the automation of rail transport. Well-thought-out modularization and high configurability enable flexible adaptation to diverse requirements. As a result, the system can be easily extended to additional marshalling yards and applications, offering a future-proof, scalable solution for the rail traffic of tomorrow.
