Nevomo, a Poland-based company specialising in magnetic rail technology, is launching a pilot project in cooperation with rail operator Captrain Deutschland and steel company ArcelorMittal. “The aim is to introduce the world’s first fully automated freight wagon transport system using existing vehicles and rail infrastructure. The project will start in December 2024 and should achieve full automation within three years”, Nevomo specified.
The project has been christened BREMAG (short for Bremen Magnetic Shuttle). It will entail the deployment of Nevomo’s technology to move steel coils between ArcelorMittal’s production sites in Bremen along a 100-kilometre stretch. The six million euros needed for the BREMAG initiative are coming from the German Ministry of Transport via its Future of Rail Freight Transport (Z-SGV) programme.
Nevomo’s MagRail booster
The project revolves around Nevomo’s MagRail booster. This is a hyperloop-inspired technology that can be applied to existing rail infrastructure and rolling stock, allowing the independent movement of railway wagons without the need for a locomotive. Wagons need to be equipped with the MagRail Booster, while components are also added to the tracks to enable magnetic levitation.
The partnership with Captrain DE and ArcelorMittal will be the first large-scale test for Nevomo, after the unveiling of the MagRail Booster in Poland in September 2023. These first tests, carried out in Nowa Sarzyna in Poland, proved that non-friction operations are possible. This was the first instance in which a wagon travelled by ‘floating’ on the infrastructure.