The WLE train ran between Lippstadt and Warstein, in northwestern Germany. Along the line, roughly 30 kilometres long, WLE usually moves construction material as well as beer and also provides single wagonload services. The company has been at the forefront of DAC testing, as it carried out the first commercial tests for traditional DAC last summer.

DAC tests recap

Since the beginning of 2026, the amount of tests announced and launched in the context of DAC escalated. Other than the WLE tests, in cooperation with coupler manufacturer Voith, 2025 also saw DAC tests in Sweden to assess the coupler performance under extreme weather conditions.

This year is the turn of Austria Rail Cargo Group, which is running similar tests to the ones done in Sweden. Large-scale commercial tests are scheduled for 2027, where seven trains will be equipped with the coupler and will run in nine different countries with raw materials or carrying out intermodal services.

Currently, more preliminary DAC tests are being carried out. The first ever commercial pilot was launched in Germany in the summer of 2025, while in Sweden the ability of DAC to work under extreme weather conditions was tried. Currently Austrian Rail Cargo Group is testing DAC on different types of wagons and will continue to do so for the whole of 2026.

The DAC cost problem

One of the main points raised by DAC critics is the cost and who will have to bear them. Given the lack of clear guidelines from EU institutions, estimations vary and seem to be increasing each time they are reviewed. Currently, many agree that equipping a unit should cost between 22,000 and 25,000 euros, while the total cost of the project is somewhere around 15 billion euros.

Level playing field

One of the issues with paying for DAC is that smaller players might struggle to find the funds, especially since the EU has not yet decided how much it will cover for the rollout phase. “With at least 15 billion euros in funding needed, I assume that subsidies and grants will cover one-third of the costs maximum”, he said. However, Pasternak added that his proposed model would be the same for all companies across the EU, whether they are large rolling stock lessors or small industrial entities.

The plan would be to create a non-profit DAC rental company for all users in Europe. “Based on EU guarantees and our AA rating as a non-profit institution, we have calculated that we could offer a DAC in a hire-purchase scheme over 20 years at 3.49 EUR per day. This would massively reduce the initial investment costs”, he explained. With hire-purchase schemes the ownership of the product would go to the final user once the debt has been settled.

Tests continue

While the financial aspects of a large-scale DAC deployment are far from being a certainty, tests on the ground are ongoing in different parts of the Old Continent. Austria and Sweden are leading the way, with pilots for intermodal and bulk transport with DAC-equipped trains in harsh conditions. Large-scale tests are scheduled for 2027, involving Germany, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway.

The pilot in Sweden also aimed at testing DAC under extreme weather conditions, but with a much heavier train moving steel. After country-specific tests, next year it will be time to take it a step further with large-scale ones. The plan is to equip 250 wagons and 15 locomotives with DAC and have them run throughout the Old Continent.

Different wagons and different couplers

The wagon types which will undergo testing are Eanos, Sgnss, Shimmns (4668 & 4676), Habbiins, Talns and Faccns, as well as two Siemens Vectron locomotives. Each wagon will be equipped with a CCU (Consist Control Unit), while the two locomotives with an LCU (Lead Control Unit). These are key components of the DAC, as they provide power supply throughout the train, enabling functions such as the automated brake test or the automated uncoupling.

These tests will also be an opportunity to assess interoperability between couplers from different manufacturers. More specifically, the couplers will come from Voith, Knorr Bremse, Wabtec and Dellner. The wagons will be equipped with 44 couplers. “Additionally, the two Vectron locomotives have four hybrid couplings, enabling them to haul wagons equipped either with DAC or conventional screw couplings”, RCG said.

Waiting for large-scale tests

These DAC Demo tests are part of Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking Flagship Project 5 (FP5 – TRANS4M-R). They can be considered as the first step towards the large-scale Pio-DAC tests which will start in 2027. “The PioDAC Trains are the next evolution phase and shall start afterwards with a higher maturity of DAC technology and operate additionally under commercial conditions”, the RCG spokesperson pointed out.

“This shared financial responsibility highlights that PioDAC is an industry-driven project aimed at preparing the market introduction of DAC under real operating conditions, rather than a purely theoretical research exercise”, he underlined. The project is coordinated by Trafikverket and brings together railway undertakings, wagon owners, workshops, industrial partners and shippers from across Europe.

The large-scale tests

The first phase concerns the installation of roughly 500 DAC units “on approximately 250 freight wagons and 15 locomotives”, Radke said. This phase will be overseen by the VPI service company VERS, which coordinates installation on freight wagons and monitors maintenance aspects throughout the project. From 2027 onwards, DAC-equipped trains will run across Europe, carrying different types of cargo.

At the same time, economic validation and the development of a standardised rulebook are addressed within the project framework, ensuring that technical, operational and regulatory aspects are considered in parallel. The International Union of Railways (UIC) contributes to the development and refinement of the standardised rulebook, ensuring that operational experience from the project feeds directly into European-level standards.

“Large-scale means that DAC is tested in regular commercial operations, embedded in existing logistics chains and railway processes”, Radke added. “This includes cross-border services, different traction concepts, various wagon types, diverse commodities and a wide range of environmental and operational conditions.” By operating in day-to-day commercial service rather than isolated pilot settings, the Pioneer DAC Trains are expected to generate robust evidence on technical performance, operational reliability and maintenance requirements.

“Cross-border operations will take place, among others, between Austria and Hungary, Luxembourg and Germany, and Germany and Poland, complemented by domestic routes”, Radke pointed out. “The mix of operators, commodities and operating concepts is intended to ensure that DAC is tested under realistic conditions across Europe”.

What to do with the results?

“The primary objective is to demonstrate that DAC-equipped trains can operate reliably and safely in commercial service across Europe”, Radke stated. Operational and maintenance data will be systematically collected and analysed over the project duration to create a solid evidence base covering performance, robustness and cost implications. The data gathered will be used to support a coordinated, EU-wide DAC migration.

From the VPI’s perspective, such coordination is essential to avoid fragmented or nationally isolated approaches and to safeguard interoperability in European rail freight. In addition, “the intention is that the trains can continue operating beyond the project phase and remain in productive service.” At the same time, Radke stressed that the immediate priority is to use the project results as a sound technical and operational foundation for a future Europe-wide decision on the introduction of the DAC.

RailTech Europe

The team also discussed the upcoming RailTech Europe, which will take place on 4 and 5 March 2026 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. RailTech Europe is one of the biggest events focussing on rail technology across the continent, both for passengers and freight. Some of the highlights of the event will include military mobility, infrastructure management and financial availability. Thousands of visitors are expected, get your ticket here.

“Today, many essential safety procedures, such as brake tests, train composition checks and axle health monitoring, are still performed manually. Often under difficult conditions — at night, in bad weather — and they are both time-consuming and safety-critical,” explains Antoine Belleguie, innovation project manager at Rail Logistics Europe.

The freight branch of French state operator SNCF (Rail Logistics Europe) is leading the MONITOR project, a collaborative effort launched in 2023 with partners Wabtec and Régie des Transports Métropolitains (RTM) and funded by the French State as part of the France 2030 programme operated by ADEME. Their shared objective is to design, develop and demonstrate a digital monitoring system that can turn traditional manual processes into fast, reliable, data-driven operations. “Our objective is to design, develop and demonstrate a digital monitoring system that transforms traditional manual processes into fast, reliable and data-driven operations.”

MONITOR will equip freight wagons with onboard sensors connected via wired links to control units on each wagon. The main control unit then communicates wirelessly with a central Line Control Unit (LCU) – the brain of the system – which in turn interfaces with the driver through a dedicated human-machine interface. This architecture transforms raw sensor signals into real-time insight into wagon health and train performance.

From one hour to a few minutes

One of the most time-consuming tasks in freight rail is the pre-departure brake test, which currently takes 45–60 minutes for an 850-metre train. With MONITOR, this procedure — traditionally requiring two operators and a full walk along the train — will be digitalised and carried out by the driver alone. Automation is expected to cut the duration of the brake test to just a few minutes, while providing a more robust confirmation of braking performance. “The system sends results directly to the driver’s tablet” Belleguie says. “This is not only a major timesaving, but also a safety gain, as the driver no longer needs to walk along the entire train to perform visual inspections.”

This faster train preparation reduces delays and improves network efficiency and is just one of the many benefits. It’s also another step towards predictive maintenance, detecting brakes, axles and vibration, continuously, to detect issues before they cause failures. At the same time, the system promises to lower costs, mainly by reducing emergency interventions and infrastructure damage. Safety is also set to improve, since ground staff are less exposed to harsh conditions. Lastly, the system cuts energy consumption and extends component lifetimes, leading to environmental gains. “The value is holistic — MONITOR is a transformation tool, not just a set of sensors,” Belleguie emphasises.

Real-world testing in 2026

MONITOR technology will be tested in 2026 on a limited number of wagons in real-world conditions in France. These pilots’ deployments will assess the sensors’ robustness in real operations, as well as communication performance between wagons. If successful, the technology could then scale across Europe, supporting the shift toward smarter, more competitive freight rail.

MONITOR is just the first step toward a fully digitised freight wagon. “Once brake tests, axle condition monitoring, and intra-train communication are digitised, the path opens for richer functionalities: Predictive maintenance, continuous train integrity verification, or even advanced operational automation” Belleguie sums up.

The project complements initiatives like Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC), which modernises the physical connection between wagons. DAC provides automatic coupling, a power supply and a digital backbone for data exchange. MONITOR brings real-time wagon intelligence. Together, they could reshape European freight rail, making it safer, more efficient, and more competitive.

“In the future, the federal government will pay transshipment and loading subsidies to operators of sidings and loading facilities for combined transport”, the Federal Council explains. These subsidies amount to a flat rate of 40 Swiss francs (around 43 euros) per loaded wagon received or dispatched. There is a total of 50 million francs (53.8 million euros) available on a yearly basis.

“The Federal Council has set a maximum limit of 8,000 rail wagons per siding per year; additional rail wagons will not be subsidised”, the announcement reads. “A minimum limit was initially proposed in the consultation draft; however, this was removed based on feedback received during the consultation process. This prevents small and medium-sized shippers from being disadvantaged.”

Flat rate and lump-sum grants

The reimbursement for the performance-related heavy vehicle charge (LSVA) currently given for truck journeys in the pre- and post-carriage of loading stations will cease. This charge will instead be absorbed into the flat-rate contributions.

Switzerland will expand the funding of transshipment and loading facilities through investment grants and simplify their administration. “In the future, lump-sum grants will also support investments in transshipment areas and mobile equipment such as forklifts.”

When it comes to DAC, Switzerland considers it to play a key role in ensuring simple, fast and economical rail freight operations. It has allocated 180 million Swiss francs (193.6 million euros) for lump-sum payments for equipment installation on vehicles. There are 8,000 francs (8,600 euros) available per vehicle.

Outside criticism

The Swiss environmental protection association ProAlps earlier criticised the Freight Transport Act revision, arguing that parliament failed to link funding to clear modal shift targets. That, in turn, led to “an unprecedented reduction in services and offerings at [rail freight operator] SBB Cargo” that was financed with taxpayer money.

A similar viewpoint was taken up by shippers’ association VAP, which suspects that SBB Cargo could be raising prices on purpose before the coming into force of the Act on 1 January. The Act would limit price hikes, and SBB Cargo may have a limited time window to make freight uncompetitive to get rid of the loss-making business segment.

Almost all speakers who were critical of DAC, and there were a few of them, agree on one thing: the price. It was not said outright, and numerous other arguments were given, but in reality the price was the only significant reason against DAC.
Today, the implementation of DAC would increase the average price of a wagon by at least 30%. And so far, the market does not see clear economic advantages that will allow wagon owners to compensate for these costs.

Automatic coupling certainly reduces the number of manual operations when forming and breaking up trains. However, in modern railway logistics – where direct trains without rail yard sorting are increasingly used – the potential of this advantage seems limited.

For intermodal transportation, where trains are formed on the route “from terminal to terminal”, the need for constant uncoupling of wagons almost disappears. In such conditions, it is enough to equip only the main wagons in the composition of permanent trains with DAC – that would be sufficient for changing locomotives or operations where networks intersect.

For other types of transportation, where sorting yards and the recomposition of trains are still used, the economic effect of DAC is also questionable. The average annual mileage of wagons and the number of coupling-uncoupling operations simply do not give a chance for a return on investment.

Rolling stock’s long life cycle as a hindering factor

Railway rolling stock has an extremely long life cycle – up to 30 years, while in the road industry it is only 10. So, even if DAC is recognized as the technology of the future, replacing the entire fleet will take a decade. And this turns any attempt at mass implementation into a process with an extremely slow return.

The general “aftertaste” of TRAKO 2025 regarding DAC is thus uncertainty and skepticism – carriers do not accept this innovation, developers act by inertia.

A month later, during scheduled working meetings in Brussels, this impression was confirmed. Walking through the city center, I saw an electric-powered carriage that takes tourists along historic streets.

This carriage, as a strange hybrid of ultra-modern solutions implemented in a traditional rolling stock from the 19th century, best symbolises the problem of implementing DAC – a story that has occurred more than once when changing technological eras.

We take the technology of the 21st century – an electric drive, digital control, a modern battery – and install it on a 19th-century structure. Yes, it moves. It can even be convenient and comfortable for leisurely movements through the historical part of the city and attractive for photos. But this is an attraction, not a transport system.

We observe the same thing with DAC: we are trying to install the technology of the future on the rolling stock of the past. And this modern DAC technology, being implemented in the existing rolling stock that works without it, in fact does not bring something so good that it is impossible to work without it – because we have been doing without it for decades.

Moreover, it would not work to its full potential, would not reveal its potential, because the old basic design, infrastructure and transportation technologies are not adapted to this new technology and new conditions. As long as we try to “attach” DAC to existing wagons, to existing transportation technologies, we will repeat the path that wagons have taken from motorised carriages to modern cars.

Every revolutionary technology brings revolutionary changes. And only after the implementation of all changes is the real effect of the introduction of this revolutionary technology achieved.

Is it now, after the experience of numerous revolutionary changes, worth spending public funds and efforts on many years of DAC implementation in outdated transport?

Why railways are losing to trucks

The implementation of DAC can and should be a chance to truly renew rail transport and return the railways to their lost leadership. History proves that the winner is not the one who has the best idea, but the one who evolves faster. Railway transport systematically loses to automobile transport. The reason is obvious – railways are updated three times slower than the road sector. And as evolutionary logic shows, the ecosystem that updates faster always wins. This simple conclusion is the whole essence of the problem.

Yes, railways have an undeniable physical advantage – minimal energy costs when moving horizontally. However, this advantage is not enough if there is no ecosystem that provides quick access, quick loading, quick shipment of cargo and quick route passage.

Fear of extraordinary events (the prevention of which is important and unconditional), excessive regulation, standards that are not updated, tolerances, procedures, institutional complexity – all this creates an environment that limits the possibility of introducing innovations due to the cost and time of implementation, which are several times higher than in automobile logistics.

As a result, the railway is modernising too slowly, losing market share, and therefore leadership, forced not to lead, but to catch up.

There are attempts at change – technologies for combined transportation are being developed, with swap bodies and piggyback transportation – automobile trucks on specialised platforms, and even various technologies for horizontal loading of trucks.

But since the theoretical useful mass of goods transported by such a train does not exceed 35-40% of its total mass, this is a pseudo-innovation, a mutation that distracts from the development of effective transportation systems rather than a step towards a new type of transport.

This state of affairs is not just a technical problem. It is evidence of systemic stagnation. And the introduction of DAC in this context can and should be an impetus for the evolution of rail and combined transport technologies.

DAC is a major breakthrough, but not in that context

DAC is, without exaggeration, one of the key technologies of the future of rail transport. It is the basis for the digitalisation of the industry: it provides automatic coupling, energy and data transmission, synchronisation of wagons in a train, increases safety and reduces the human factor.

But most importantly, DAC changes the logic of railway operation. This is not just a new coupling, it is an element of a system that can combine all processes: train formation, container operations, load control, locomotive interaction and sorting automation.

However, this system cannot function effectively if the basis is old rolling stock designed for a different era, other speeds, other loads and even other ideas about the railway.

DAC as the basis of a new generation of trains

DAC makes sense to implement only as part of a specially designed rolling stock – a new generation of wagons created for the requirements of the 21st century.

Such wagons should have:

• Balanced mass-dimensional parameters, where the wagon and container is no more than 20–25% of the total mass permissible for transportation;
• Optimised useful volume for transporting freight per linear metre of train;
• Energy efficiency, which allows reducing energy costs for transporting one tonne-kilometre by at least half;
• Other equally important parameters.

That is, it is proposed to use DAC only on modern wagons that will enter the market and not to be afraid that there will be two coupling systems for some transitional period.

Certain organisational solutions will be required for that – such as a gradual determination of stations that will work with the new coupling.

DAC as a tool for multimodal integration

The potential of DAC lies not only in technology, but also in the organisation of traffic and logistics. It can become a universal interface between rail and road transport to end competition and jointly develop mutually beneficially, contributing to the achievement of the goal of the Green Deal and modal shift through synergy.

This is precisely the key to a new model of European transport integration – when different types of land transport, operators, standards and networks are able to interact through a common technological language. However, this requires fully designed rolling stock and transportation technologies of the future.

Instead of a conclusion

DAC is not an overestimated innovation and not an overly expensive project. It is a powerful tool for the evolution of rail transport. But for it to work, the implementation process must be accompanied by the development and implementation of appropriate rolling stock and appropriate transportation technologies.