Wabtec, Fret SNCF and regional operator RDT13 (Régie des Transports des Bouches du Rhône) launched the Monitor project which will accelerate the development of the rail freight industry in Europe.
The Monitor project consists of equipping railcars with sensors to monitor and prevent the risks of derailment, untimely brake applications and to reduce train preparation time. Ultimately, it could help reduce maintenance costs and contribute to the European Union’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The project focuses on four key technologies, brought together for the first time including radio communication between cars along the train, brake monitoring, bogie monitoring and automated brake testing.
This project was funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition. It will last three and a half years. The solutions will be developed by Wabtec based on needs established by the consortium, before being tested in real conditions on the rolling stock of the SNCF and RDT 13.
“The Monitor project has the potential to transform the development of freight rail in Europe. We are delighted to bring our experience of innovative railway technologies to develop fully digitalized freight train operations,” Lilian Leroux, President of Wabtec Global Transit and Freight Europe said.
“The digitalisation of freight represents a major opportunity for rail operators in terms of operating safety, productivity, attractiveness of our professions and improvement of working conditions,” Frédéric Delorme, president of Rail Logistics Europe at SNCF said.
The monitor project is the first innovation project of the French Rail Freight of the Future (4F) coalition and is the latest in a series of innovation projects involving Wabtec in Europe in rail freight sector.
“Rail freight uses six times less energy, emits eight times less pollution and nine times less carbon than a comparable journey by road. We are proud to contribute to this innovative project that will bring major benefits to French and European rail,” Paul Sillou, CEO of RTD 13 said.
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